Paul Cameron, a virulently anti-gay and roundly discredited psychologist whose membership in the American Psychological Association (APA) was revoked in the early 1980s amid an investigation that he violated professional ethics, is on his way to Moldova next week to speak against proposed anti-discrimination legislation that would protect LGBT people.

Alexander Poluyan, the gay activist in Belarus and the editor of Belarusian gay-lesbi portal GAYBY.NET, has been suggested to leave by mutual agreement the company where he has been working as an manager in the department of corporate communications (CORA).

Since the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process began in 2007 at the Human Rights Council at the United Nations it has both forced governments to defend their polices as well as actually causing them to change them.

Issues with relying on the US State Department for a accurate take on LGBT life in particular countries have been highlighted in the reporting of Daniel Berhane, the self described ‘leading blog in Ethiopia.

He has found a leaked Cable (here’s the cable) from US Embassy Addis Ababa, dated Dec. 30,2009.

The Belarussian gay website gayby reports that Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenkо – who has been described as “Europe’s last dictator” – was unable to pronounce the word homosexuality on the first try at a 7 October press conference with Russian journalists.

The London gay wedding of Kenyan men Charles Ngengi and Daniel Chege Gichia sent shock waves throughout Kenya. There was outright and widespread condemnation of their marriage in Kenyan media through October 2009. And the pair were described as “the accidental gay rights trailblazers.”

As of September 14th, a new law in California allows victims of domestic violence to require landlords to change their locks within 24hrs of receiving a written request and a copy of a restraining or a police report that is no more than 180 days old.

Over 20 years ago, Scott Anderson’s ordination as a Presbyterian Church-USA minister was set aside after he was outed as gay by members of the church he led in Sacramento. A single couple had outed him in 1990, and Anderson responded honestly.

Fed up with both day after day of nasty newspaper headlines and one civil society leader after another abandoning them, last Friday Accra’s gay community came out, one-by-one, at a major “straight” forum.

Ghanian blogger Graham Knight described the collective coming out as “remarkable.”

Some Nigerian politicians are again trying to push through legislation to further criminalize lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people and their friends.

Sex between people of the same gender is already a crime, and in some parts of the country, men who have sex with each other can be put to death – but certain people seem to believe this is not harsh enough.

Uganda’s only LGBT bar, Sappho Islands, closed Sunday night with the landlady saying, according to activist Frank Mugisha (who has just won another human rights award) that the “bar brings people who look strange”.

Activist Kasha Jacqueline said on Facebook that she was “heartbroken”.

A day after an advisory panel raised the idea of using Medicaid to pay for transgender surgery, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s health department dropped it.

“No consideration is being given to any change in current state policy and any proposal to have gender reassignment surgery funded by Medicaid would be rejected,” said state Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah.

President Barack Obama says anyone running for president must support the entire U.S. military, including gay service members. He spoke Saturday at the annual dinner for the Human Rights Campaign. (Oct. 1)

Serbia’s police say they have detained six people and prevented a gathering of a pro-Russian far-right group that threatened to burn an EU flag and spit on the portrait of the U.S. ambassador in Belgrade.
Riot police were deployed in large number across the capital Sunday to enforce a ban on a gay pride event and anti-gay protests, fearing they would turn violent.

A gay American actress and musician has accused a US airline of discrimination after being kicked off a flight for kissing her partner. Leisha Hailey, an actress on TV show The L Word and a member of band Uh Huh Her, became the latest in a growing line of celebrities to be marched off a Southwest Airlines flight.

MOSCOW — Russia’s leading gay-rights activist Nikolai Alekseev, the head of GayRussia, is reporting today that dozens of people have been arrested following clashes at the Equality March in Moscow today.

Here is what he wrote on Facebook:

10/01/11

Canada: Right-wing Canadian group accused of transphobia for ‘confusion’ ad

The gay Burundian asylum seeker Alvin Gahimbaze has won his 11-year battle for sanctuary in the UK.

Alvin fled Burundi with his sister, Danella, in 2000 when he was 16 years old. Alvin and his sister were fleeing ethnic clashes in which his family was massacred. Alvin is part of the persecuted Tutsi minority.

In the latest news from homophobic Russia: Moscow police have stopped investigating the bashing of a lesbian journalist; Moscow authorities refuse to register LGBT NGOs; and another Russian region wants to outlaw LGBT and pro-gay organizing.

But, in good news, ‘liberal’ St Petersberg held a successful LGBT festival.

Elena Kostyuchenko is a well-known Russian journalist who recently came out as lesbian in her newspaper, Novaya Gazeta.

Events in Australia over the last month have shown outsourcing giant Serco’s claim to have a worldwide reputation to be more than just corporate speak: the company gets accused of abusing refugees wherever it is.

The Cameroonian authorities must end the persecution of gays and lesbians and repeal laws that criminalize consensual same-sex relations, five human rights organizations said today in an open letter to Paul Biya, the president of Cameroon.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch joined the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), L’Association pour la Défense des Droits des Homosexuel(le)s (ADEFHO) and Alternatives Cameroun in urging the government to release all individuals detained under the discriminatory law.

Gay African activists have reacted positively to President Obama’s inclusion of LGBT human rights in his annual address to the United Nations General Assembly – a first for an American President.

Obama said:

“No country should deny people their rights, the freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but also no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere.”

Walking through the streets of Jardim São Luís, or many other neighborhoods on the outskirts of São Paulo, a Sunday afternoon is an experience. At every turn, succeed evangelical ceremonies, music and shouting. There is no denying the explosive rise of evangelical churches, especially in poor neighborhoods, who have managed to win with an attention to social problems that the Catholic Church in Brazil had neglected.

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) — Officials with Libya’s transitional government announced Sunday they have located a suspected mass grave thought to hold the remains of 1,270 people, victims of a 1996 massacre at Abu Salim prison.

A Chinese police official apologized Saturday for his department’s handling of a case in which a man allegedly killed two of six women he had held captive in his underground lair, where they were raped, forced into prostitution and featured in porn videos, state-run media reports.

A US-based blog named the politicians, who include right-wing MPs and members of Silvio Berlusconi’s ruling party, and said they were secretly gay. According to AFP, the blog’s authors wrote: “We decided to start with these ten names to show clearly how hypocrisy and discrimination rule in the Italian parliament.”

09/22/11

South Africa: Saudi prince beaten by plainclothes police in gay nightclub in Cape Town

An attack on a gay Saudi prince by plainclothes police officers in Cape Town, South Africa, has been confirmed by a gay nightclub manager. The prince, however, won’t identify himself because he could be executed in Saudi Arabia for being gay.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/09/22/margaret-cho-id-f-michele-bachmann-and-christine-odonnell/She’s the Queen of stand-up. She’s twice been nominated for a Grammy. She wore a tasselled rainbow flag dress on Dancing With The Stars and has been one of the gay community’s most vocal allies. On The Cho Show she introduced America to anal bleaching. She’s a Drop Dead Diva with, according to one of her songs, a p**s that has won 15 Tonys. Laurence Watts caught up with comedienne Margaret Cho.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has voiced some support for gay rights, but stopped short of endorsing gay marriage or adoption. She made the comments during a visit to New York, where same-sex unions were legalised in July. The Philippines has a vibrant gay scene and a gay political party which has been pushing for an anti-discrimination bill for 11 years. But the Roman Catholic Church remains opposed to the Bill, claiming it will open the door to gay marriage.

A famous Chinese dancer says she was dropped as a judge on a TV talent show because she is transgender. Jin Xing, 44, had sex reassignment surgery in 1996. She was booked to appear for eight weeks on Feitong Fanxiang, a show for professional singers.

The homophobic Westboro Baptist Church, known for its chants of ‘God hates fags’, protested the band’s Kansas City gig, claiming that the song Keep it Clean (Hot Buns) encourages “fornication” and “fags”.

Marine recruiters pitched up at an Oklahoma gay community centre to find openly lesbian, gay or bisexual recruits. The 18-year-old law banning openly gay troops was finally repealed yesterday and Marine recruiters set up a stall at the Dennis R Neill Equality Center in Tulsa.

The President Barack Obama forcefully spoke out for global LGBT rights during a speech today at the United Nations.

“No country should deny people their rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion, but also no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere,” Obama said in the speech, which he used to address his opposition to Palestine’s UN bid for statehood.

Service members compelled to publicly reveal that they are gay or lesbian took advantage of the end of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in several ways Tuesday, as military officials reported no noticeable increase in activity at military recruitment stations.

Obama said: “Our armed forces have been both a mirror and a catalyst of that progress, and our troops, including gays and lesbians, have given their lives to defend the freedoms and liberties that we cherish as Americans.

The 1993 law was repealed today and the president said: “As of today, patriotic Americans in uniform will no longer have to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love.”

As she gave a speech at a hotel, campaigners outside danced to Madonna’s Like a Prayer and shouted slogans against the so-called ‘reparative therapy’ allegedly practiced by the Bachmann family’s Christian counselling service.

LONDON — The United Kingdom, which is ruled by a coalition government under conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, said today that it would create a consultation to expand civil partnerships to marriage equality.

Lynne Featherstone, the UK’s Equalities Minister who is a Liberal Democrat, made the announcement that pleased marriage-equality supporters around the globe. She said the consultation would begin in March 2012 with the goal of changing the law ahead of the next election scheduled in May 2015.

Frank Mugisha, a prominent young advocate for the rights of sexual minorities in Uganda, has been chosen to receive the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. Mr. Mugisha is the Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a leading organization of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) movement in the East African country.

Uganda’s Vice President, Edward Ssekandi has said the government is taking “open objective consultation on the issue of homosexuality” in the country.

Mr Ssekandi (pictured with the writer) told the US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson, at a meeting held at the Uganda Mission in New York Thursday, that Uganda has not yet come up with a position on the issue of homosexuality. He added that open objective consultations with stakeholders were still underway before a report was presented to government for a decision.

The government owned New Vision newspaper reported today (September 23) that the meeting was attended by the minister for Foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa and Uganda’s head of Mission in New York.

A new international LGBT human rights organization based in the UK has launched today, Sept. 13.

The Kaleidoscope International Diversity Trust has been endorsed by all three major British party political leaders and its Honorary President is the Speaker of the British House of Commons, John Bercow MP. In his endorsement the British Prime Minister David Cameron said:

09/13/11

USA (Minnesota): In Suburb, Battle Goes Public on Bullying of Gay Students

ANOKA, Minn. — This sprawling suburban school system, much of it within Michele Bachmann’s Congressional district, is caught in the eye of one of the country’s hottest culture wars — how homosexuality should be discussed in the schools.

Human Rights Watch released a report this week criticizing the Netherlands for stipulations in the Dutch Civil Code which, the group says, violates the human rights of transgender people.

The 85-page report, “Controlling Bodies, Denying Identities: Human Rights Violations Against Trans People in the Netherlands,” highlights the impact of a 1985 law, article 28 of the civil code, that continues to impact the lives of transgender people today. The requirements were in fact wholly progressive at the time they were enacted, putting the Netherlands at the forefront of equality where its trans citizens were concerned.

09/13/11

USA (Missouri): Compassion creates a family: A seriously ill young transgender woman and a middle-age nun form a bond

Medical school curricula in the United States and Canada devote an average of only five hours to the specific health care issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients, a Stanford University School of Medicine survey shows.

Ahead of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States, Republican member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Sally Kern has renewed her claim that homosexuality has killed more people in the United States than terrorism.

Are we winning on the “Kill The Gays” bill? The short answer: We don’t know.

The longer answer is that reports said the anti-homosexuality bill (AHB) was to be reintroduced to the Ugandan parliament round about now, some reports said this could happen Wednesday, but this didn’t happen.

On Saturday, following a meeting with a bunch of fellow activists the evening before with Ugandan Anglican Bishop Christopher Senyonjo, his wife Mary and Rev. Canon Albert Ogle, President of St. Paul’s Foundation for International Reconciliation, we implored our network of friends, activists etc. to write a letter to Assistant Secretary of the US Department of State, Johnnie Carson to speak out loudly and publicly to Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, head of state and head of the Ugandan government, to strongly encourage him to permanently shelve the “Kill the Gays” legislation.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Lambda Legal today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas claiming Tarrant County College officials violated the U.S. Constitution by preventing a qualified candidate from interviewing for full-time teaching positions because of their belief that she is a lesbian.

The Prosecutor General Office of Khuzestan Province, Iran announced in a press conference that three people were hanged at Karoun prison in Ahwaz city, for sodomy on early Sunday, Sept. 4, along with three other men. Khuzestan/Al-Ahwaz is a mostly Arab province in Iran and has the highest amount of executions in the country.

Parents under the Family Life Network and Uganda Coalition for Moral Values (UCMV) have opened a fresh campaign to force the government abandon economic and foreign policy considerations and pass the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009.

“Once ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ has been ended in 19 days, that is the end of this case, and there’s nothing for this court to do,” Justice Department lawyer Henry Whitaker told the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which held the hearing in Pasadena.

Mexicans gay and straight marched 13 August from the office of the Attorney General (PGR), Marisela Morales, to Mexico City’s main square (the Zocolo) to demand justice for Christian Sánchez and over 700 people killed in the country in 2011 so far for their sexual orientation.

08/26/11

HURON, Ohio — Nearly 700 United Methodist clergy and laypersons from throughout the nation are meeting in Huron, Ohio, to discuss efforts to change their denomination’s rules barring ordination of gay clergy and the blessing of same-sex unions. If their efforts fail to change church law at next year’s General Conference — and many reform advocates expect they will be outvoted — a growing number of ministers plan to disregard the rules and start performing same-sex marriages.

PINK Embassy/LGBT Pro Albania, an organisation that works for the protection of LGBT community in Albania, wishes to express its deep concerns for the latest case of extreme violence used against a member of the transgender community in Tirana, Albania

http://ilga.org/ilga/en/article/n8tozIg16NParliament House this evening the Prime Minister met a range of advocates for reform to hear their views and to answer their questions about her stated opposition to the issue. It was the first time an Australian Prime Minister has formally met advocates for marriage equality.

During my mandate as Commissioner for Human Rights, I have repeatedly received information about violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, or LGBT, persons in Council of Europe member states. Many have suffered physical attacks and some have even been killed. Unfortunately, this is also a reality in Turkey.

http://ilga.org/ilga/en/article/n8trAAu1DBJust months ago, a raid by Egypt’s vice police would have been a concern at gatherings such as this fete for a man in red shorts who was turning 26. But on the recent sweltering Thursday night, as men in pastel-colored, V-neck T-shirts streamed in, a crackdown was the last thing on Bidak’s mind. She worried whether a certain woman might walk through the door

Swiss filmmaker Fernand Melgar has returned to the Locarno Film Festivalwith a powerful documentary on forced deportations of failed asylum seekers.
Melgar’s work, shot at the Frambois detention centre in Geneva, is up for the Golden Leopard in the International Competition. He tells swissinfo.ch about why he was motivated to make the film.

Paul CanningA gay journalist, Robert Mukondiwa, discovered in flagrante delicto with a man in Namibia whilst covering a visit by President Mugabe says he is “not going anywhere”. This is despite the news of the outing apparently reaching Mugabe who reportedly asked who was ‘protecting him’.

Cabinet has finally thrown out the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009 on the advice of Mr Adolf Mwesige, the ruling party lawyer. However, Ndorwa West MP David Bahati, the architect of the Bill, insists the proposed legislation is now property of Parliament and that the Executive should stop “playing hide- and- seek games” on the matter.

Last week, we reported that Britain’s Border Agency (UKBA) has denied a visa for Freedom and Roam Uganda (FARUG) founder and executive Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera, who was scheduled to open a pride celebration in Derry, Northern Ireland later this month. Today, Paul Canning reports that UKBA has reversed its decision and granted Kasha a visa: Thursday, 18 August 2011

On August 14, Michelle Goldberg sounded the alarm about the close ties that two GOP candidates for president, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have with extreme elements of far-right Cristianism known as Dominionism. Today, A. Larry Ross responds with a well-intentioned, but ultimately hopelessly informed counterargument that “Christian Dominionism is a Myth.” Ross’s argument rests on this crux:

This blog promotes the right to work (sometimes called permission to work) of asylum seekers and refugees at a global level. It is a unique resource to find caselaw, programs and recommendations on access to this right.

The investigation of the numerous complaints lodged by patients, has to know that these are worth clandestine centers of sexual abuse, insults and torture as methods of healing.

“It was degrading, humiliating, horrible,” said Paola Ziritt, 28, who was two years admitted to one of these hospitals. She spent three months in handcuffs in a room called the ‘sauna’ in there because there was only a few tubes. In addition, the guards threw urine and water ice on top.

Budapest, August 8, 2011 – The Organized Crime Unit of the Budapest Police has started investigation on charges of incitement to hatred and violence against a member of a community against homophobic protesters who were planning on disrupting the Gay pRide march and who assaulted gay pride marchers leaving he premises. According to current legislation, group violence against members of the LGBT community can be sanctioned by as much as eight year imprisonment.

Lambda Legal filed the complaint on behalf of L.P., now a 18-year-old transgender woman who was physically attacked by other residents and verbally abused by staff every day for almost a year and a half when she lived in the youth facility.

A gay dissident and a transsexual woman married on Saturday in what was said to be a first for Cuba, then draped themselves in the rainbow flag of gay pride and rode through the streets of Havana.

(Reuters) – In a simple civil ceremony surrounded by much hoopla, Ignacio Estrada, 31 and Wendy Iriepa, 37, signed a marriage certificate, exchanged rings and kissed before a state official, who wished them much happiness.

http://ilga.org/ilga/en/article/n7LEGy81zhAn event in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride was held in Islamabad recently and was hosted by the Deputy Chief of the US Embassy, Richard Hoagland. At its heart, the gathering promoted the idea of allowing people to be who they want to be, recognised the importance of being understood and valued, and advocated basic human rights. However, local Islamic parties and religious groups, such as the Jamaat-e-Islami, claimed that this event was an act of “cultural terrorism” by the Americans.

08/15/11

USA: (Washington) Doctor suspected of slaying his partner and their adopted son

A King County District Court judge on Saturday determined there was probable cause to hold Dr. Louis C. Chen in custody on investigation of two counts of aggravated murder in the double homicide. Chen remained hospitalized Saturday at Harborview Medical Center.

It has been very dangerous to form any kind of gathering in Syria since the spark of the protests last March. Gay Syrians had avoided cruising and gathering for a few weeks before they started to become more aware of the best places and times for such actions.

Jamaica Forum of Lesbians All Sexuals and Gays (J-FLAG) had the support 28 July of the United States Ambassador to Jamaica, Pamela E. Bridgewater, as it launched ‘Unconditional Love’, a public service announcement (PSA) featuring Christine Straw, former Miss Jamaica World and Miss Jamaica Universe, and her gay brother Matthew Straw.

One government consultant says he is in full support of gay rights in Dominica. Government Productivity Consultant and Former Government’s Press Secretary Parry Bellot was speaking on the heels of an article published on Dominica News Online where a gay called on government to put measures in place to make homosexuality in Dominica non discriminatory

Two national civil rights groups and a Minneapolis law firm filed suit against the Anoka-Hennepin School District on Thursday, claiming that staff members in Minnesota’s largest district didn’t do enough for students bullied because of their perceived or actual sexual orientation.

University of Minnesota Medical School and College of Biological Sciences researchers have made a key discovery showing that male sex must be maintained throughout life.

The research team, led by Drs. David Zarkower and Vivian Bardwell of the U of M Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, found that removing an important male development gene, called Dmrt1, causes male cells in mouse testis to become female cells.

Currently, section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986 says that “a person is guilty of an offence if he … uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour … within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby.”

The government says it will “assess the benefits” of removing the crime of causing ‘insult’ from the Public Order Act.

07/21/11

Uganda Now: Gearing Up for Another Round with the “Kill the Gays” Bill and Keeping the Heat on the U.S. Evangelicals- NYC

Denver Roman Catholic archbishop Charles Chaput, who calls same-sex marriage “the issue of our time” and supported the decision of a Colorado Catholic school not to reenroll the children of a lesbian couple, has been named archbishop of Philadelphia.

The UK joins only five other countries which record data on the number of LGBT persons benefiting from
asylum/subsidiary protection due to persecution on the ground of sexual orientation: Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Latvia and Estonia.

A transgender woman was shot and killed in Northeast D.C. during the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 20. The Metropolitan Police Department has little information about the suspects other than that they are ”two black males,” according to MPD Public Information Officer Gwen Crump.

07/18/11

Uganda: First lady “backed homophobic smear campaign” against rival of her favorite pastor

Top marks for being gay-friendly go to Imperial College, UCL, Wolverhampton and Portsmouth

Chris Dye, Stonewall’s education officer, who helped to put together the guide, suggests its very existence has prompted institutions to improve. “All universities were notified last year that they were being profiled,” he says. “The checklist has allowed them to compare themselves with other institutions and that may be why they have got better.”

According to AFP, he said: “Lady Gaga has been a powerful force for the gay and lesbian community in Sydney and we have a rare honour for people whose achievements embrace the ideals and spirit of our city – the title of ‘honorary citizen of Sydney’.

“I would like to pay tribute to her for using her star power to focus the world’s attention on the prejudice still directed at gay men and women.”

The commission, which has been accused of bias against faith, hopes to intervene in a number of cases in which Christian workers were sacked or disciplined for refusing to provide services to gay people. Lawyers have called for more “compromise” and “accommodation” around several cases due to come before the European Court of Human Rights shortly

07/11/11

UK: Deputy speaker Nigel Evans: ‘I lost 35 years of my life in the closet

The removal of Ugandan gay asylum seeker Robert Segwanyi was tonight “deferred” at the last minute. He had been moved today to a Heathrow “removal center” for an early morning July 11 flight to Kampala.

“By treating adopted children whose parents are unmarried worse than other adopted children, Louisiana violates two well-established federal constitutional protections, both of which embody principles of equal treatment and unify us as a nation.”

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon instructed the military on Friday to stop removing personnel who are gay from service and to begin accepting applications from homosexual recruits who are otherwise qualified to serve. Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which advocates for gay members of the military, said the provision regarding applications to join the service would not have a large impact. The “don’t ask, don’t tell policy” prevented the military from asking about orientation during the application process, he said, so the only people who were rejected upon entry were those who voluntarily offered that information in an interview.

Prosecutor Maeve Fox will argue that McInerney methodically plotted the execution of King and has added a hate crime charge, saying that the teen’s actions and hatred of gays were partially motivated by his alleged neo-Nazi beliefs.

A group of conservative Pakistani religious and political leaders has spoken out against a gay rights event held last month at the U.S. Embassy in the capital city, Islamabad, issuing a statement calling LGBT people “social garbage” and equating support for LGBT people to terrorism.

The Ontario government will take steps to assure that support groups for LGBT students are available in all schools in the Canadian province, both public and Catholic, beginning this fall. Provincial parliament member Glen Murray, who is gay, calls the move “a huge step forward.”

The Pentagon confirmed Monday that more service members have been discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” pending certification of the policy’s repeal, with one individual’s discharge approved as recently as Thursday.

Police say nine people, ranging in age from 12 to 19, attacked and robbed a gay man as he walked home alongside a Springfield, Mass., park Tuesday morning.

06/28/11

Cuba: Are Cuba’s communists getting ready to support LGBT rights?

Paul Canning

http://sdgln.com/news/2011/06/28/are-cubas-communists-getting-ready-support-lgbt-rightsMariela Castro Espín, the daughter of Cuban President Raúl Castro and a leader for LGBT rights on that island, told the 20th World Congress for Sexual Health, held in the Scottish city of Glasgow 18 June, that Cuba’s Communist Party may soon be ready to recognise gay and lesbian rights, even though her father has cautioned her that the time may not yet be ripe

According to the respected Hindustan Times newspaper the “shocking, unprecedented trend, catering to the fetish for a son, is unfolding at conservative Indore’s well-known clinics and hospitals on children who are one to five years old”.

India’s ratio of male to female births has long been a concern. Sons are considered a blessing and daughters a burden, as girls must be married off with a large dowry.

The comments, first reported by liberal website Right Wing Watch, came during a radio interview with Family Research Council President Tony Perkins last week, as Akin and Perkins discussed NBC’s decision to remove the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance aired during its coverage of the U.S. Open Championship.

Across the country and around the globe, the news of New York’s legalization of gay marriage dominated the wires. The impact of the Empire State’s vote was felt in newspapers like the U.K. Telegraph, which predicted that the news “will be the cause of huge celebrations in America at this weekend’s annual gay pride festivities in New York,” as well as theBelfast Telegraph, which labeled it “a breakthrough victory in the state where the American gay rights movement was born.”

KATHMANDU, Nepal — There were no howls of outrage or attempts at disruption but only good-natured curiosity and non-stop traditional music as American psychologist Courtney Mitchell tied the knot with fellow American Sarah Welton, a lawyer by profession, in Kathmandu valley’s celebrated Dakshinkali temple on Monday, making it Asia’s first public lesbian wedding and an additional feather in the cap of Sunil Babu Pant, Nepal’s only openly gay legislator.

U.S. immigration laws require individuals seeking protection to apply for asylum within one year of their arrival in the United States. Nirmal Singh appealed the immigration judge’s rejection of his asylum case after the judge found that it was not enough for Mr. Singh to testify as to his date of entry, but that he had to produce documentary corroboration to show when he entered the United States.

BOGOTA, Colombia — In a case concerning a male prisoner who self-identifies as a woman in the rural eastern plains of Colombia, the Colombian Constitutional Court announced this week that it had overturned a lower court ruling that prohibited her from wearing makeup and earrings.

In the lawsuit, Lastra Ortiz, reported intense and constant harassment by prison guards because of her gender identity.

LGBT activists demonstrated in Hong Kong Friday as a specialist in “ex-gay” therapy gave a seminar to city social service workers, possibly the first such government-sponsored presentation in the world.

Frank Jordans

The United Nations’ Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva, voted 23 to 19 on Friday, June 17, to approve a resolution that expresses “grave concern at acts of violence and discrimination, in all regions of the world, committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation and gender identity.”

The Obama administration on Wednesday announced that it has awarded $250,000 to a Chicago-based human rights organization to create the first-ever resource center supporting the resettlement of LGBT refugees in the United States.

Today, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. introducedlegislation – known as The Refugee Protection Act – to lift that deadline. Its passage would make all the difference in the world for LGBT people fleeing abuse and homophobia abroad.

The legal director for Immigration Equality explains why a minor change to a 1996 law was a major blow to LGBT people seeking asylum in the U.S, and why Sen. Patrick Leahy could change all that.

06/14/11

USA: (California)Bankruptcy court rules against gay-marriage ban

Paul Elias

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7610710.html
SAN FRANCISCO — The country’s largest consumer bankruptcy court has sided with a gay couple seeking to file a joint bankruptcy petition, taking the extraordinary step of deciding the federal law prohibiting same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. The ruling written by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Donovan wasn’t the first blow to the Defense of Marriage Act in federal court. That came last year when a federal judge in Boston declared the law an unconstitutional violation of equal protection guarantees.

A US judge refused to vacate a decision last year that declared California’s anti-gay marriageProposition 8 unconstitutional. Backers of Prop. 8 had wanted the decision thrown out on the grounds that the judge who made the decision is gay and therefore should have recused himself from the case.

The Kenyan Parliament will decide tomorrow, 14 June, on the appointment of Dr Willy Mutunga and Nancy Baraza to that country’s top judicial and public prosecutorial jobs. Both have a pro-gay history and that – plus Mutunga’s earring – have led to an enormous fight between civil society and anti-gay forces, led by the Church. Mutunga supported the foundation of the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya and Baraza is writing a PHD thesis on LGBT human rights.

Tina Fey and NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt have spoken out against anti-gay violence and GLAAD has called on Tracy Morgan to speak out and meet with families who have lost loved ones to anti-LGBT violence.

He said if his son that was gay he better come home and talk to him like a man and not [he mimicked a gay, high pitched voice] or he would pull out a knife and stab that little N (one word I refuse to use) to death”

“Well, I was becoming a little concerned, I guess, when he was playing with dolls and stuff,” Kaytee Murphy told Anderson Cooper on CNN. “It just bothered me that maybe he was picking up maybe too many feminine traits.”

Keneth Kaunda and Festus Mogae, former Presidents of Zambia and Botswana, respectively have condemned Malawi’s criminalization of homosexuality as harmful tp the fight against HIV/AIDS. “We can preach about behavioral change, but as long as we confine gays and lesbians into dark corners because of our inflexibility to accommodate them, the battle on HIV/AIDS can never be won” said Mogae.

06/10/11

Uganda: COMMENTARY: An eyewitness to homophobia, from Uganda to the UN

The American Family Association (AFA), a virulent anti-gay hate group based in Tupelo, Miss., has agreed to pay for a national day of prayer being organized later this summer in Houston by Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a longstanding ally to prominent figures in the anti-gay movement.

City centre churches to host events encouraging repentance of homophobia.” Given the turmoil in Christianity (ie the Anglican Communion) over the issue of homosexuality, it’s an eye-catching subject heading for an email. Detail from Symon Hill’s Repenting of Homophobia website

Three LGBT Puerto Ricans have been found dead over the past several days and 18 LGBT Puerto Ricans have been murdered over the last year and a half, according to reports.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Ramón “Moncho” Salgado was found dead along the side of a highway; Karlota Gómez Sánchez, a transgender woman, was found shot to death at an intersection on Monday; and Alejandro Torres Torres was found stabbed to death over the weekend.

06/08/11

USA: Love Will Make A Way: The Intersections of Interracial and Same Sex Marriage

As a woman in an interracial marriage and as a senior pastor of a church, I think it is essential that we stand up for the rights of all people to marry. It is important to make our voices heard by our legislators in New York before June 20, as lawmakers will most likely vote this June about whether we will have marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples in New York State. Straight allies and Christians need to write, march, and call for justice alongside our gay brothers and sisters.

In the past few days, the issue of homosexuality has suddenly become a national concern in Ghana, with the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) even reported to be investigating those practising it. Speaking in the regional capital of Takoradi, Mr Aidoo said there was need to investigate the phenomenon which had contributed to the growing rate of HIV/Aids in the country.

The Scout Association has revealed plans to increase its amount of gay members and leaders. Inevitably, the idea has been criticised by those who claim this move will shift the focus away from the Association’s “Christian Values”.

The discovery came about after a number of complaints from trans men and women who felt they had been treated badly when applying for credit in their new name. The UK has two credit scoring agencies – Experian, the largest, and Equifax – and complaints appeared mostly to cite Equifax.

At lunchtime last Thursday, Paul Jorgensen and Gareth McCallion were crossing Trafalgar Square in central London when a busker targeted and verbally abused them using homophobic language. Mr Jorgensen initially responded by calling the busker a homophobe before approaching a member of the police and having the busker arrested and charged with a hate crime.

Ms Nicot said of her marriage: “It’s a symbol for millions of gays and lesbians who would like to have the same rights.”

The deputy major of Nancy, Laurent Henart, told the Associated French Press: “It’s the first marriage in France of its kind.” The newly-married couple later joined around 2,000 members of the LGBT community for a march through the city.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Chruch protested a new NBA policy against antigay slurs Sunday night outside game 3 of the league finals in Dallas. Group bosts of more than 43,000 protests, nationwide.

“When I was younger, marriage equality was not an issue for me,” said Erica, who was discharged from the Navy under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. “But now, as my grandfather ceaselessly and callously comments on the issue, each and every word stings, since I live with my girlfriend of 2½ years, Naomi Torres, and our two sons, Jared and Jeremiah Munoz.”

Reuven Rivlin the Speaker (presiding officer) of the Knesset – the Israeli parliament – has angered conservative Jewish Knesset members (MKs) over his plans to meet with leaders of the gay community in Israel in honor of Gay Pride Month.

06/05/11

UK: Do say gay: LGBT sexuality isn’t the problem – bigotry is

Emily Band

Rates of suicide, self-harm and bullying are high in LGBT people. Repressing discussion of our sexuality will only worsen the problem. Growing up being different is not easy. This is especially true in schools: signs of weakness or difference attract bullies like ugly moths to the light. This is especially true for LGBT students, who are statistically more likelyto be bullied.

“The reality is that you don’t all agree with each other on your politics, you don’t agree with each other on your religion, you don’t agree with each other on a lot of things,” Gates said. “But you still serve together. And you work together. And you look out for each other. And that’s all that matters.”

Dr Mutunga is co-founder of the Kenya Human Rights Commission, which receives funding from a German aid agency to foster gay rights and get acceptance for sexual orientation. The Commission also supports liberal moral views on the right to life. In an article he authored in 2003, Mutunga wrote: “I think the influence of religion in this country is very harmful.

The Florida Family Association contracted the plane on Friday and Saturday to fly a banner that read: “Warning Gay Day At Disney.”

In a statement it said: “Thanks to the generosity of many supporters, Florida Family Association contracted this aircraft company to fly a seven foot high banner for ten hours the day before and ten hours the day of Gay Pride Day at Disney World.”

The Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD) is outraged. Following news reported this week by the online magazine Telepolis that the Union of Catholic Physicians (UCP) has been offering homeopathic “Therapy Options for Homosexuality” on their website, the advocacy organization called the suggestion an “insult,” and an “impertinence” that showed “a lack of respect for homosexuals and bisexuals.”

The court found the article and accompanying cartoon amounted to hate speech, propagating hatred and harm as a result of which homosexuals experienced “emotional pain and suffering”, The Mail & Guardian reported online.

Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) — When census gatherers went door-to-door visiting 5.6 million households across Nepal this month, they collected information not only on the country’s men and women, but also on a so-called third gender.

05/27/11

ILGA State-Sponsored Homophobia Report: A World Survey of Laws Prohibiting Same Sex Activity Between Consenting Adults

Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn is speaking out about his role in the scandal that finally led Nevada Republican John Ensign to resign from the Senate. MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell gets details from Jon Ralston, a columnist for the Las Vegas Sun.
05/27/11

Georgia megachurch preacherBishop Eddie Long has settled out of court with four young men who accused him of sexual misconduct,Long’s spokesmansaid Thursday. BJ Bernstein, attorney for the plaintiffs, was similarly tight-lipped. “The matter has been resolved,” read a statement. “Neither attorney Bernstein nor the plaintiffs themselves will be available for interview on this matter, now or in the future.”

05/27/11

USA: (Washington, DC) Adults Estimate That 25% of Americans Are Gay or Lesbian

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. adults, on average, estimate that 25% of Americans are gay or lesbian. More specifically, over half of Americans (52%) estimate that at least one in five Americans are gay or lesbian, including 35% who estimate that more than one in four are. Thirty percent put the figure at less than 15%. Those with lower incomes, the less educated, women, and young people give the highest estimates

The amendments require the chiefs of all four military services to certify that the change won’t hurt military readiness, something gay rights campaigners say is a deliberate effort to slow down the repeal effort

Amanda Booker, who is now in custody over a separate incident, is suing officials after she claims Bartow County Sheriff’s Department in Georgia forced her to attend gay conversion therapy instead of taking her to a drug rehabilitation centre.

Just caught this tonight. Coburn, top Family associate with 10 recent trips to Uganda spending at least $187,000 of taxpayer dollars, is going down with Ensign’s ship. These people are so perverse they are darwin-ing themselves out of existence

The leader of a right-wing organization, who made a name for herself by pushing abstinence-only based programs in Africa and has ties to the virulently antigay Ugandan pastor, Martin Ssempa, is stepping up efforts to promote homophobic messages among delegates at the United Nations

There are the martyr movies- Milk, Philadelphia – where a noble gay person comes to a tragic end through no fault of his own, becoming a hero through his suffering; and there are the coming out movies, where a young person’s adolescence is made more complicated by her realization that she’s a lesbian.

Bullying and suicides of gay and lesbian teenagers are in the headlines, the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy has been repealed, and the debate over same-sex marriage continues to divide the country. Against this backdrop, many L.G.B.T. youth wonder how accepting society will be.

Uganda and the Anti-Homosexuality Bill have become synonymous on the international stage. On either end of the debate at home are its author, MP David Bahati, and one of its most vocal opponents, gay rights activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera.

If Uganda, as a homogenous society, is against those who are not like everyone else, why do the majority Christians tolerate Muslims and Jews in their midst? As outlandish as we might find the spectre of homosexuality, we owe the parents of those who are gay some kind of allegiance and so, for their sake, speak out for the rights of their children.

Father Riccardo Seppia, a 51-year-old parish priest in the village of Sastri Ponente, near Genoa, was arrested last Friday, May 13, on pedophilia and drug charges. Investigators say that in tapped mobile-phone conversations, Seppia asked a Moroccan drug dealer to arrange sexual encounters with young and vulnerable boys. “I do not want 16-year-old boys but younger. Fourteen-year-olds are O.K. Look for needy boys who have family issues,”

This special issue of Al-Raida is intended to shed light on the problematic position of the lesbian in Arab cultures on various interdisciplinary levels. It is also intended to question the politics of love and friendships in the Arab cultures, in an attempt to examine the perplexing position of the lesbian subjectivity and the perils of “coming” out of the complicated Arab closets. Contact: Ms. Myriam Sfeir, at myriam.sfeir@lau.edu.lb and to the guest editor, Dr. Iman Al-Ghafari at, dr.iman.gh@gmail.com

The panel was sponsored by several organizations ‚Äî including UNAIDS, World Bank GLOBE, Inter-American Development Bank GLOBE and the Council for Global Equality ‚Äî to observe the International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia observed, ‚ÄúResponding to the anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda by cutting off international aid to the country might not be a good idea‚Äù

The San Francisco Giants have become the first professional sports team in the US to join the It Gets Better campaign against homophobic bullying.

More than 6,000 people signed a Change.org petition asking the baseball team to join the initiative.
Giants spokeswoman Staci Slaughter told Reuters that the team will produce a video for the campaign before hosting an annual LGBT night on August 29th.

05/17/11

Indonesia: Indonesian Statement for International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO)

“Stop Violence and Hate Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity”

Indonesia is still one of those countries whose regional policies (Perda) in several provinces criminalize homosexuals, such as in South Sumatera and West Sumatera in which homosexuals are considered prostitutes and in Law no. 44/2008 on Pornography citing that homosexuality is a deviant sexual behavior.

05/17/11

Philippines: Hate Crime Alliance Calls on Philipine Government to End Killings of LGBT People

A trans woman from the US state of Illinois is suing her employers for barring her from using the women‚Äôs toilet. She worked for crafts store Hobby Lobby for a ‚Äúnumber of years‚Äù while living as a man, her lawyer says.

“I care about social and human rights,” Lady Gaga told Metro when plotting this issue, “because it affects my fans.” She couldn’t have picked better timing: Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, a day dedicated to raise awareness for gay rights worldwide.

“There is so much prejudice and stigma around LGBT and so much to gain just from raising awareness and speak out in public. The vision really is very simple: All people should enjoy the right to see their individuality, their love and their relations accepted and respected.”

Mr. Staffan Herrstr√∂m ‚Äì Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam

05/17/11

World: Activists celebrate 7th International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Today is IDAHO ‚Äì the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. In countries all over the world, there are events calling for the universal decriminalisation of homosexuality and equal human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people

05/16/11

Australia: Violence breaks out between Christians and gays in Australian city

Although homosexuality was decriminalised in 2001, LGBT people in the Muslim country are said to still suffer oppression and harassment. After winning Saturday‚Äôs Eurovision Song Contest, the country has won the right to host next year‚Äôs competition

The US State Department has strongly condemned Uganda‚Äôs anti-homosexuality bill. Addressing journalists yesterday, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: ‚ÄúNo amendments, no changes, would justify the passage of this odious bill. Both [President Barack Obama] and [Secretary of State Hillary Clinton] publicly said it is inconsistent with universal human rights standards and obligations.‚Äù

Patients with H.I.V. were 96 percent less likely to pass on the infection if they were taking antiretroviral drugs ‚Äî a finding that is so overwhelming that it is likely to change the way American AIDS doctors treat patients and what treatment policies are adopted by the World Health Organization and other countries, said Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which paid for the trial.

European leaders must protect the independence and integrity of the European Court of Human Rights.
“The European Court of Human Rights – though challenged by an increasing backload of cases – remains the jewel in the crown of the human rights protection system in Europe,” said Avner Gidron, Senior Policy Advisor at Amnesty International.

“If the bill before the Ugandan parliament becomes law, it must be the policy of the United States government to oppose any aid to Uganda from the World Bank, the African Development Bank, or any other international financial institution of which we are a member.”

05/10/11

USA: Presbyterians Approve Ordination of Gay People

Laurie Goodstein

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/us/11presbyterian.html?_r=3

After 33 years of debate, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has voted to change its constitution and allow openly gay people in same-sex relationships to be ordained as ministers, elders and deacons.

The Dutch Conservative government has recently changed the criteria for one group of asylum seekers, thinking it had solved a political problem, only to raise the question of why they’re not applying it to others.
Immigration and Asylum Minister Gerd Leers has agreed that some girls could not be returned to Afghanistan if they are ‘too westernized’.

The Moscow city government has allowed a far-right and Orthodox religious picket in the heart of the city calling for gays to be violently attacked and sent to death camps.
Activist Viacheslav Revin said that :
“The participants held placards calling for violence against gays. Homophobes do not hide their desire to send the gays to death camps, as Hitler did during the reign of the Nazis.”

05/08/11

Saudi Arabia: Blackmail of gay men “common” in Saudi Arabia, Gulf States

Saudi Arabia has been described as a ‚Äúgay heaven‚Äù because strict gender segregation supports what’s called a “flourishing” underground gay sex scene, but for those who fall foul of official prohibitions, through being discovered or being entrapped, jail and flogging awaits.

The man, Roger Jean-Claude Mbede, had sent a text to a man he believed to be gay but when he went to meet him the appointment “has proven to be an ambush”, the group’s statement said, and he was arrested 2 March by ‘elements’ of the SED (Secretary of State for defense)

From the title of the exhibit, Kameny, now 85, said he can claim a new title for himself.
“I suppose you can say at this point, I have become one of the creators of the United States, which I never would have imagined in 1961,” Kameny said with a chuckle. “All I can say is from the long view, 50 years, we have moved ahead in a way that would have been absolutely unimaginable back then.”

A claim by a pastor of the Evangelical Church in Malta that the Lord had ‘converted’ three men out of their homosexuality has angered the local gay community and many others.
Gordon John Manche earlier today posted an event on facebook called “Gay no more- Made new by the power of Christ” to encourage young people to attend a “spiritual gathering” where three formerly gay youths would speak about their conversion out of homosexuality

The struggle for diversity has been peaceful, we demand respect, activists claim
Social organizations, academics, writers, party representatives and members of civil society activist condemned the assassination of Quetzalcoatl Leija Herrera, described his death as “homophobic hate crime.” In a letter to Governor Angel Aguirre, the Attorney General, the CODDEHUM and media, demanded punishment for this and other attacks against homosexuals “who have been complicit in the silence and impunity by the state and its institutions” .

She is perhaps an unlikely hero of revolt in a conservative country. Female, gay and half-American, Amina Abdullah is capturing the imagination of the Syrian opposition with a blog that has shot to prominence as the protest movement struggles in the face of a brutal government crackdown

The Federaci√≥n Arg LGBT (FALGBT, Argentina LGBT Federation) is concerned about recent reports of violence against lesbians, gays and transgender people. And activists in Chile want clarification of what happened with a detained gay Chilean living in Argentina.

THE Human Rights Commissioner, Catherine Branson, has called on the federal government to introduce federal laws to protect people from discrimination on the grounds of their sexual orientation or gender identity

Barbara A. Lenk, a veteran Massachusetts Appeals Court judge, won confirmation yesterday to a seat on the Supreme Judicial Court, becoming the first openly gay judge to serve on the state‚Äôs highest judicial body.

One of the ironies of anti-gay antagonism is that it sometimes results in gay people being removed from provisions that are designed to eliminate abuse. Sometimes anti-gays are so determined to deny that gay people have real lives and real relationships that they are willing to allow gay couples (which don‚Äôt really exist, you see) to get away with behavior that would otherwise be banned.

05/04/11

Uganda: Uganda gay activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera hailed

BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13278374

Ugandan gay activist Kasha Jacqueline Nabagesera has been given the prestigious Martin Ennals rights award. The 10 organisations which make up the award jury said she was courageous and faced harassment because of her work.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that he’s “optimistic” that lawmakers will approve a gay marriage bill.
“I’m optimistic that marriage equality will pass,‚Äù Cuomo told reporters, the New York Daily News reported. ‚ÄúI think it is long overdue. I’ve been talking about that issue for a year. I know it’s failed before, but I think this is a different day.‚Äù

Damian Green MP, the minister responsible for immigration, said:
“The UK Border Agency officers across the country have carried out a major enforcement crackdown which has generated a large number of arrests, cash seizures and prosecutions.”

The National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a report earlier this year which gave a startling look into the level of discrimination America’s trans and gender non-conforming community must still suffer. Now, In The Life Media has created a brief documentary based around the report that really contextualizes the problems trans-identifying women face.

05/01/11

USA: Two Gay Men Raising 12 Children In Arizona

ON TOP MAGAZINE STAFF

http://ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=8244&MediaType=1&Category=26

Steven and Roger Ham are raising 12 children in Arizona, a state that bans gay and lesbian couples from adoption and marriage.
The Hams, known as daddy and papa to their adoptive children, were profiled in Sunday’s The Arizona Republic.

04/30/11

Nepal: Transgender Nepalis Perform Traditional Wedding Blessing for Royal Couple at British Embassy

Special Correspondent

http://ukgaynews.org.uk/Archive/11/May/0101.htm

KATHMANDU, A dozen of Nepal‚Äôs “third gender‚Äù marked the British royal wedding with a traditional Nepali blessing ceremony at the British Embassy in Kathmandu in Friday afternoon.

ROME (AFP) – A top Italian official on Saturday called an Ikea advertisement with two gay men holding hands “in bad taste”, invoking the ire of opposition parties and rights groups.
“I find it serious and in bad taste that a Swedish multinational comes to Italy to tell Italians what they should think,” Secretary of State for family policy Carlo Giovanardi said in a television interview.

US Marines have begun training in preparation to accept openly gay troops. Before President Obama signed an order to repeal the 17-year-old ban, there was concern that the Marines in particular would react badly to serving alongside out gay colleagues

04/27/11

France: Last known gay holocaust survivor to receive France‚Äôs top honour.

Surgery department manager at Flekkefjord hospital, Marcus G√ºrgen, told NRK earlier today gynecologists at the medical facility used their legal right to refuse to perform abortions. One is afraid of violent reprisals from anti-abortionists.
‚ÄúHe does not want a rock thrown through his window should he decide to carry this procedure out here, even though I believe it won‚Äôt occur.‚Äù

04/27/11

Pakistan: Pakistan allows trans men and women their own gender category

The country‚Äôs Supreme Court has ruled that Pakistanis who do not consider themselves to be either male or female should be allowed to choose an alternative sex when they apply for their national identity cards.

Polish registry offices will be issued with new certificates which will effectively end in Poland discrimination against same sex couples wanting to get married or enter into a civil partnership abroad.

Noxolo Nogwaza, a 24-year-old lesbian, was found dead in an alley in Kwa-Thema township, South Africa, on Easter Sunday morning. It is believed she was raped and murdered.
A gay man has received hospital treatment after being beaten up in a homophobic attack at the weekend.
Chas Andersen, 20, from Bethnal Green, was knocked to the ground and punched twice in the head while trying to use a cash machine on Clapham High street in south-west London, opposite the gay KAZ Bar.

Katherine Miller, a lesbian cadet who resigned from West Point last year when she said she could no longer lie about her sexuality, was recently refused readmission to the academy. This was because, although the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was ended late last year, the repeal is not yet in effect, at least according to West Point

Any asylum seeker convicted of a crime while in detention will fail the Government’s character test and almost certainly face deportation. Changes to the immigration laws will make it easier to send rogue detainees back to their country of origin or, at the very least, prevent them from being eligible to apply for permanent protection visas.

04/26/11

Japan: First openly gay candidate wins in Tokyo ward

Natsuko Fukue

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110426a9.html

OSAKA ‚Äî Openly gay candidate Taiga Ishikawa won a seat in the Toshima Ward Assembly in Tokyo in Sunday’s election, marking a historic first.
“I hope this news will give a hope to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who still feel isolated from the society,” said Ishikawa. “I will do my best to make Toshima Ward more friendly to LGBT people, young people and foreigners.”

04/26/11

Russia: Activist says Moscow authorities authorized gay rally

Interfax

http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=8404

Moscow, April 26, Interfax – Moscow gay pride parade organizer Nikolay Alexeyev says the Moscow authorities have for the first time authorized a gay rally in Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square

Leeds-based agency Catholic Care told it must consider gay and lesbian couples as prospective parents
A Catholic adoption agency has lost a two-year battle to be excluded from laws that ban discrimination against homosexuals.
Leeds-based Catholic Care wanted exemption from the 2007 Sexual Orientation Regulations, which require it to consider gay and lesbian couples as prospective parents.

In a court filing, the sponsors of the ban on gay marriage, ProtectMarriage, asked the chief judge of the federal court in San Francisco to nullify last August’s ruling by former U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker, who retired earlier this year.

The top US news anchor on why she prefers jokes to anger and why she is proud to be gay
I’ve long held three basic beliefs about the ethics of coming out:
*Gay people — generally speaking — have a responsibility to our own community and to future generations of gay people to come out, if and when we feel that we can.
*We should all get to decide for ourselves the “if and when we feel that we can” part of that.
* Closeted people should reasonably expect to be outed by other gay people if (and only if) they prey on the gay community in public, but are secretly gay themselves.

04/25/11

USA: Texas May Bar Transgender Marriage.

Jim Vertuno

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2067351,00.html

(AUSTIN) ‚Äî Two years after Texas became one of the last states to allow transgendered people to use proof of their sex change to get a marriage license, Republican lawmakers are trying to roll back the clock.
Advocates for the transgendered say a proposal to bar transgendered people from getting married smacks of discrimination and would put their legally granted marriages in danger of being nullified if challenged in court.

In Nigeria, religion is central to everyday life but many Christian churches exclude gay members House of Rainbow church offers underground prayer and preaching to Christians ostracised by rampant homophobia.

A video of a vicious beating at a Baltimore County McDonald’srestaurant went viral Friday, garnering hundreds of thousands of views on websites and prompting the fast-food giant to issue a statement condemning the incident. Gay advocacy group says attack on transgender woman a hate crime

An 18-year-old man has been arrested in connection with homophobic stickers plastered around London‚Äôs east end. The teenager, from Leamouth, was arrested on suspicion of a public order offence yesterday, police said.

ROCK HILL In the wake of a brutal beating of a gay man caught on a Rock Hill store’s videotape, the sponsor of a hate crime bill that last year went nowhere in the General Assembly plans to reintroduce the bill next week and ask that it be discussed immediately by legislators.

The revised regul Gov. Bob McDonnell has said he thinks the current standards for adoptions are proper.
Virginia’s Board of Social Services has struck language from proposed adoption regulations that would have barred private agencies from discriminating against prospective parents based on their sexual orientation.

Terry Wakonyo Ng‚Äôendo, 24,(Kenyan) and Courtney Nicole, 25, wedded in a same-sex civil union at the Polk County Courthouse last Friday in Des Moines, Iowa where homosexual marriages in Iowa became legal on April 3, 2009

WASHINGTON, DC, United States, April 19 (UNHCR) ‚Äì A senior UNHCR official has called for stepped up efforts to protect the thousands of refugees and asylum-seekers persecuted every year for their sexual orientation and gender identity.

Hungarian politicians have approved a new constitution which bans gay marriage. The document restricts marriage to heterosexuals and does not protect LGBT people from discrimination

04/19/11

India: Haryana widows battered to death.

BBC News

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13125674

Two widows have been bludgeoned to death by a man in the northern Indian state of Haryana, officials say. Police arrested a 23-year-old man, the nephew of one of the women. He was on parole, having served a sentence for rape. Eyewitnesses told police he killed his aunt and another woman in full view of other villagers, after he accused them of being in a lesbian relationship.

Malaysian authorities have admitted sending 66 teenage boys thought to be gay to a camp to learn “masculine behaviour.”

04/19/11

Russia: Racism and abuse in asylum centres.

Daniel Sandford

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13131359

Fofana Baleymory, Benjamin N’Guessan and Frederic Karangwa say they are persecuted in Russia
A BBC investigation into Russia’s treatment of asylum seekers has found disturbing evidence of neglect, abuse, and overt racial discrimination by officials. Most people who come to Russia seeking political asylum arrive at the international airports in Moscow and St Petersburg, or cross the country’s southern borders.

A negative social environment may increase risk for suicide attempts by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) teenagers.
A new study shows the risk of suicide attempts among LGB teens is 20% higher in communities that are less supportive of homosexuality than in supportive social environments.
Heterosexual teens living in supportive social environments also reported 9% fewer suicide attempts than teens in unsupportive environments.
“The results of this study are pretty compelling,” researcher Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, PhD, of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, says in a news release. “When communities support their gay young people, and schools adopt anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies that specifically protect lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth, the risk of attempted suicide by all young people drops, especially for LGB youth.”

An American study suggests that attempted suicide rates among gay teenagers are higher in areas considered less liberal. The research involved more than 32,000 high school students in the state of Oregon.

Today, the House of Representatives Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, through Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), announced that it would be intervening in cases challenging the Defense of Marriage Act’s constitutionality, a move authorized earlier this year by the Republican members of the BLAG

Bloomington — An ex-Marine who admitted killing a gay Indiana University professor two days after they had a sexual encounter has been convicted of murder by a jury that found the slaying was intentional and not committed in the heat of anger.

04/15/11

Australia: Gay refugees face prejudice across the world

Tony Grew

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-7403.html/

Biplob Hossain, a gay refugee from Bangladesh who is seeking asylum in Australia, and Joaquin Ramirez, facing deportation to El Salvador, have highlighted the plight of gay men who flee their countries to escape persecution.

04/15/11

Uganda: Uganda Ambassador describes how David Kato should share responsibility for his murder.

In a shocking letter to the President of the European Parliament, the Ambassador of Uganda in Brussels asserts that David Kato “should share responsibility in this very unfortunate incident.” A highly-respected and recognised human rights defender in Uganda, David Kato was murdered on 26th January 2011 following his vocal stance in favour of LGBT people‚Äôs human rights.

California is set to become the first US state to require the teaching of gay history and rights.
Children would take lessons on issues affecting gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people, with schools granted discretion about what age to start the lessons.
The law was passed by the state’s senate and is likely to pass the assembly easily, which is also controlled by the Democrats, before being signed by Governor Jerry Brown.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has pledged to voice opposition to LGBT human rights violations overseas through U.S. participation in multilateral development institutions ‚Äî such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund ‚Äî and to work to restrict funds from these banks to foreign governments that allow such abuses

“These complaints document stories of abuse, humiliation, and neglect, often in isolated detention facilities where people have little access to the outside world. Given DHS’s inability to protect vulnerable individuals in its custody from abuse, the Obama administration must take concrete steps to reduce its expansive detention program and to use alternatives to detention.

VILNIUS, (LGL) ‚Äì A majority of the members of the Committee on Legal Affairs of Lithuanian Parliament today voted for the “improvement of a legislative amendment which seeks to establish harsh fines for the ‚Äúpropagation of homosexual relations in the public.
“This is a one more warning act of institutionalised homophobia which prevails among Lithuanian lawmakers,” commented Valdimir Simonko, chair of the national LGBT advocacy association Lithuanian Gay League (LGL).

Attendees at the Awakening conference for social conservatives this past weekend suggested that their fight begins with changing the terms of debate, namely, swapping the word ‚ “gay‚” for alternatives including ‚ “sodomy‚” and ‘anti-Christian.”

http://www.care2.com/causes/health-policy/blog/lift-ban-on-h-i-v-infected-organ-transplants-hiv-patients-want-access/
HIV infected patients who need replacement organs say they should be allowed to access organs from HIV positive donors and federal health officials are considering whether its time to lift the current ban on such organ transplants.

04/13/11

USA: Want a Birth Certificate? First Tell Us If You’ve Ever Had an Abortion.

In Georgia, In the days after giving birth a new mother is sleep deprived, emotional, exhausted, and hormonal. Which makes her a perfect target for intrusive questions about her private life in the guise of bureaucracy.- We are talking about whether or not she had an abortion before, so that she her baby‚Äôs birth certificate can be processed.

Despite reports that Uganda’s ‘kill the gays’ bill has been stopped in the Ugandan Parliament following an announcement by President Yoweri Musevini‚Äôs government, anti-gay forces have upped their efforts to have it become law.

A New Jersey transgender man has been fired after his employers decided that he did not fulfill a men-only requirement of the job. El‚ÄôJai Devoureau, 39, was hired by a drug treatment centre last summer and was required to watch men giving urine samples for drug testing.

04/11/11

Chile: Lesbian judge in Chile fights for new US anti-discrimination laws.

A lesbian judge from Chile is calling for new anti-discrimination laws to be introduced across North and South America. Karen Atala, 47, lost custody of her three daughters in 2004 because of her sexual orientation. She won custody of her children in two hearings, but they were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2006.

Homosexual men are to be allowed to give blood for the first time, in a move which will increase fears of transfustion patients contracting HIV.

A bag of donor blood stored in blood bank Photo: ALAMY
The ban on gay men donating blood is being lifted because it was decided that the rule could be discriminatory and might breach equality legislation.

The United States Department of State submitted its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate as required by law for “countries that receive assistance” among others. The Uganda Report mentions the religious fundamentalists by name at the heart of Uganda’s human rights problem.

04/09/11

Italy: Academic who blamed fall of Roman Empire on gays under pressure to resign.

A leading but controversial Italian academic is facing calls for him to resign as vice president of the country‚Äôs Centre for National Research after he claimed that homosexuality caused the fall of the Roman Empire.
Professor Roberto De Mattei, vice-president of Italy‚Äôs Centre for National Research, a devout Catholic who previously claimed that the Japanese earthquake and tsunami was ‚Äúdivine punishment‚Äù, made his claims in an interview for a religious radio station.
During his interview with Radio Maria, Professor De Mattei said:‚ÄùThe collapse of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the Barbarians was due to the spread of homosexuality

A Belgian Catholic archbishop who said HIV is ‚Äújustice‚Äù for gays has been hit in the face with custard pies.
Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard, the head of the country‚Äôs Catholic Church, was targeted on Tuesday while speaking at a university near Brussels.

Municipal Police in the city of Pueblawas arrested and sent to court qualifier to a group of five gay men for the “crime” of “being a nuisance and a danger to families,” that drew these men into prostitution in one of the main thoroughfares of the capital.

Anti-homosexuality activists have presented a petition in Parliament, calling for the passing of the anti-gay Bill. The petition, signed by two million people countrywide, was presented to the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Ssekandi, yesterday by anti-gay activists led by Pastor Martin Ssempa.

Archaeologists have discovered a 5,000-year-old skeleton which they believe may be the remains of a transgender person.
The male skeleton was found in a suburb of Prague and is buried in a manner previously only seen for female burials. The body is believed to date from between 2900 and 2500BC and is from the Corded Ware culture of the Copper Age.

More than 60 people were arrested this weekend when police raided a gay bar in Shanghai. According to AFP, police in the Chinese city said that patrons at Q bar were watching ‚Äúpornographic‚Äù shows. Police arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning and arrested staff, DJs and patrons, detaining some for 12 hours.

A Polish MP has been expelled from his party for making a sexist joke about lesbians. Robert Wegrzyn of the centre-right Civic Platform party was given the boot this week, two months after he made the off-colour joke. In February, when asked for his views on civil partnerships, he responded: ‚ÄúWe can forget about gay men, but I would gladly watch lesbians.‚Äù He went on to criticise gay people for ‚Äúflaunting‚Äù their sexuality.

A British man was arrested and beaten in Saudi Arabia by religious police when they discovered he was gay. Stephen Comiskey, a 36-year-old nurse, was threatened with beheading and thrown in a cell, the Sun reports. He says he was tricked by religious police who sent him a text message pretending to be a friend. Homosexuality is a capital offence in Saudi Arabia.

Thousands of people have reportedly left the Lutheran Evangelical Association of Finland after a campaign against homosexuality. The week-long campaign, which was drawn up by several Christian groups and ended this weekend, was met with anger. Called ‚Äú√§l√§ alistu‚Äù (‚Äúdon‚Äôt acquiesce‚Äù), it claimed that gay people can become straight and urged youths not to give in to thoughts of homosexuality

In the days and weeks after the earthquake, we were shouted at in the streets‚ “You gay people, take your sin and go, you are responsible for this tragedy‚” said Reginal Dupont, Program Manager at SEROvie. ‚ÄúMany masisi were attacked, verbally and physically.‚Äù This irrational blaming of LGBT people for natural disasters is a global phenomenon, with conservative evangelicals like Pat Robertson having blamed homosexuality for the devastation of Hurricane Katrina as well as other natural disasters.

03/25/11

Breaking: Uganda‚Äôs ‚ÄòKill The Gays‚Äô Bill Appears To Be Dead | The New Civil Rights Movement.

A project to help asylum seekers persecuted because of their sexuality has been launched in Canada.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said his department ‚Äì Citizenship and Immigration Canada ‚Äì will donate a financial grant to help sponsor refugees and relocate them.

The United Nations this week, in an historic vote led by the United States and cosponsored by 85 countries, voted to condemn violence against LGBT people around the world ‚Äî in stark contrast to a vote last November that initially allowed gays to be executed without cause. How did it happen? What are the roots of this new-found tolerance and support? Columbia University human rights professor and Eurasia expert Tanya Domi points to Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton as two pieces of a very large puzzle as she explains the backstory.//newline////newline//Despite horrific incidents of violence perpetrated against gay people from New York City to Moscow, from Kampala to Sarajevo and from Dakar to Tehran, Wednesday‚Äôs burgeoning, supportive vote by the UN Human Rights Council that condemned violence against persons for their sexual orientation or gender identity and affirmed that international human rights values and principles apply to sexual minorities, was actually set in motion in Vienna in 1993, when the UN convened the World Conference on Human Rights‚Äìcalled by many historians a ‚Äúrare and defining moment.‚Äù

03/23/11

USA: Obama administration calls on United Nations to support gay rights.

‘Human rights are the inalienable right of every person, no matter who they are or who they love,’ Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe says. The move is the latest by Obama in support of gay rights

03/20/11

INDIA: Transgenders Want Political Space In Tamil Nadu.

ILGA

http://ilga.org/ilga/en/article/mTO8fsa1Gp

The 30,000-strong transgender community, mostly living in the fringes of society in Tamil Nadu, wants political space in the state to voice their plight.

03/19/11

UNITED STATES: Don’t Blame Me for Your Mess!.

ILGA

http://ilga.org/ilga/en/article/mTAhgX51Ss

Terry Angel Mason, author of “Love Won’t Let Me Be Silent,” talks against homophobia and discrimination. “I am tired of being attacked, robbed, and denied equal rights by heterosexual religious zealots who blame same-gender-loving people for their failed marriages.”

03/16/11

DRC: Congolese victims of sexual violence call for help from the international community.

UNHCR

http://www.unhcr.org/4d80b63b6.html

Women at the Mugunga III camp for the forcibly displaced in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
MUGUNGA III CAMP, Democratic Republic of the Congo, March 16 (UNHCR) ‚Äì Marie* was first raped three years ago during a raid on her village that left her husband and 10 children dead ‚Äì she was about 70 years old at the time.

03/16/11

Refugee from Uganda | The Bilerico Project.

Davina Kotulski

http://www.bilerico.com/2011/03/refugee_from_uganda.php

To date, he has not been granted asylum. I met Moses at a forum on LGBT asylum presented at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley and sponsored by Rev. Roland Stringfellow of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies. …

03/11/11

Remarks to the Press on the Release of the 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/03/138241.htm

Secretary Clinton comments on the importance of the Human Rights report to foreign policy, aid, and activism efforts. (A link to 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/index.htm)

New Zealand has seen an alarming number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV last year. According to the AIDS Epidemiology Group at the University of Otago, 90 of the 149 new infections diagnosed last year were found in men who have sex with men. HIV campaigners said that rates of the disease in gay and bisexual men were the worst they had ever been, surpassing even the 1980s.

An LGBT association in Mozambique has welcomed clarification of the law by the country‚Äôs justice minister at the UN, but has expressed concern that the constitution and penal code are still ambiguous on gay rights.

03/01/11

USA: Rev. Peter J. Gomes Is Dead at 68; A Leading Voice Against Intolerance.

The Rev. Peter J. Gomes, a Harvard minister, theologian and author who announced that he was gay a generation ago and became one of America‚Äôs most prominent spiritual voices against intolerance, died on Monday in Boston. He was 68.

A transgender man in Malta has won the right to have his birth certificate changed to ‚Äòmale‚Äô. The 26-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was born female but said he had always felt and acted like a man. He has had gender reassignment surgery abroad. Malta insists that trans men and women must have ‚Äòirreversible‚Äô surgery in order to change gender

A website that blamed the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, on gay people, has been shut down by its Utah-based web hosting provider, BlueHost. It follows complaints from the readers of PinkNews.co.uk and other LGBT media.

The first openly gay judge has been appointed in Israel. Dori Spivak, an attorney and former Civil Rights Association chairman, was appointed as a judge at the Tel Aviv Labor Court on Friday. He is the deputy director of the Tel Aviv University‚Äôs law clinics and a longtime gay rights activist.

Kushaba and Love had hoped to present Engle with petitions asking that he restate his position on Uganda. Engle has said his ministry did not support the anti-homosexuality bill there. But his appearance at the prayer rally amounted to an endorsement. Kushaba said Engle and other evangelicals from the United States “incited” hostilities against gays.

Gay Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills has described a ‚Äúbizarre‚Äù ritual in which he was battered with chickens to turn him straight. Mills said: ‚ÄúThey have these witch doctors who claim they can cure people. I went to see one and I knew they were just fleecing people for money. ‚ÄúHe‚Äôd say weird things like, ‚ÄòYou‚Äôre very sick, so you need to go and buy a cow then we‚Äôll transport your spirit into the cow‚Äô.

A Botswana politician says he agrees with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe‚Äôs views on homosexuality. Pono Moatlhodi, who is the deputy speaker of the Botswana National Assembly, told a January meeting on HIV prevention that he would ‚Äúnever tolerate‚Äù gays and lesbians.

The situation for gay people in Uganda was far worse than he expected, Scott Mills says. Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk about an upcoming documentary, the gay Radio 1 presenter told how he feared for his own safety in the country. Mills met anti-gay MP David Bahati as part of filming for ‚ÄòThe World‚Äôs Worst Place to be Gay?‚Äô.

Up to 130 gay men were reportedly arrested last week at a private party in Bahrain. Reports said that the event, at a sports club in Hidd, was a gay wedding and guests were said to have been spotted in make-up and women‚Äôs clothes. It was raided by police after neighbours complained about noise levels on Thursday night. The men, mostly from Bahrain and Gulf countries, were arrested on the charge of ‚Äúconduct against public morals‚Äù.

01/31/11

Archbishop reacts strongly to queries over homophobic climate in Uganda.

THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, reacted strongly to media questions in Dublin yesterday which queried the role of the Anglican primate of Uganda, Most Rev Henry Luke Orombi, in fomenting a climate in which gay activist David Kato was murdered there last Wednesday. Meanwhile a service in Trinity College Dublin was told yesterday that ‚Äúany church that preaches intolerance is contributing to the very real and deadly consequences of homophobia‚Äù.

On December 3, 2010 when speaking to the Parent Teachers Association in Tokyo, the Governor of Tokoyo, Mr. Shintaro Ishihara, referenced the Tokyo Metropolitan Ordinance on Healthy Youth Development, and said, ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs not just for the kids, homosexuals appear on TV as if it was no big deal. In Japan, things are way too uncontrolled. I will see to it [the revised bill‚Äôs passage] with a sense of mission.‚Äù

Alan Kasujja, host of a breakfast radio show in Kampala, used his broadcast on Friday to urge Uganda to turn its back on homophobia and focus on other issues.//newline//”I have tons of friends who are gay,” Kasujja told Reuters. “These are people who I have gone to school with, who I have worked with. They are our brothers and sisters, our children. “So am I supposed to join ill-informed, undereducated people who advocate for them to be ostracised? Sorry, I cannot be part of that,” he said.

A Ugandan paper response to the murder of David Kato in an editorial that emphasizes the need for tolerance: ‚ÄúPeople like David Kato and others who might be gay are Ugandans and enjoy the same rights and protections of the law as heterosexuals. We cannot send them into exile neither, lock them away, or hang them‚Ä¶ Peaceful and stable societies only emerge when we understand and try to accommodate those who are different from us, or who disagree with us – not by ostracising or killing them.‚Äù

Chris Rhatigan, a spokeswoman for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, said each case is examined individually, both for evidence of sexual orientation and the conditions of the country of origin. While she declined to comment specifically on the examples cited by Mr. Marrero and Ms. Neilson, Ms. Rhatigan said such behavior by immigration officers would not be condoned.

01/28/11

Scuffles at Funeral of Uganda Gay Activist.

Justin Dralaze, Reuters

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE70R0HS20110128

‚ÄúScuffles broke out between locals and friends of a murdered Ugandan gay activist at his funeral on Friday after the pastor conducting the service berated gay people and villagers refused to bury the coffin.‚Äù

I am deeply saddened to learn of the murder of David Kato. In Uganda, David showed tremendous courage in speaking out against hate. He was a powerful advocate for fairness and freedom. The United States mourns his murder, and we recommit ourselves to David‚Äôs work. //newline//At home and around the world, LGBT persons continue to be subjected to unconscionable bullying, discrimination, and hate. In the weeks preceding David Kato‚Äôs murder in Uganda, five members of the LGBT community in Honduras were also murdered. It is essential that the Governments of Uganda and Honduras investigate these killings and hold the perpetrators accountable.//newline//LGBT rights are not special rights; they are human rights. My Administration will continue to strongly support human rights and assistance work on behalf of LGBT persons abroad. We do this because we recognize the threat faced by leaders like David Kato, and we share their commitment to advancing freedom, fairness, and equality for all

‚ÄúUgandan gay rights campaigner David Kato has been beaten to death, activists say. The police confirmed Kato‚Äôs death and say they have arrested one suspect. Last year Kato sued a local newspaper which had outed him as homosexual. The newspaper published the photographs of several people it said were gay next to a headline reading ‚ÄúHang them‚Äù. Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda, punishable with up to 14 years in prison.‚Äù

‚ÄúIn South Africa, lesbians are often targeted for rape and violence in a phenomenon some perpetrators call corrective rape ‚Äì indicating they believe a lesbian‚Äôs sexual orientation can be changed through rape and violence.‚Äù

‚Äú ‚ÄúAs for the extent to which the (recent Ugandan court) ruling will radically change the profound homophobia that has gripped the country, that will be another matter‚Äô[ said Human Rights Watch researcher Marie Burnett]. ‚ÄòI think there is still a long battle ahead to afford sexual minorities in Uganda adequate protection.‚Äô ‚Äù

The Foreign Minister on Thursday expressed the feeling the Head of Delegation of the European Union, Raul Mateus Paula. For the Cameroonian authorities, the laws of the Republic must be respected by all. In deciding to fund organizations that violate laws, the EU is violating the provisions of the Vienna Convention governing priorities and consular cooperation between states. Clearly, for the Cameroonian government, the law must be respected by all, without conditions.

Over the past two weeks, three travestis have been murdered in separate incidents in Honduras. In two of the incidents, the victims were set on fire either before or after their deaths. This means that in the past year and a half, there has been a total of now 31 the murders of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in Honduras. Join the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the Honduran LGBTI organization Red Cattrachas in calling for immediate investigations and demanding state action to prevent future killings on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

01/09/11

The UK magazine has just concluded an on-line debate on gay marriage.

The Economist

http://www.economist.com/debate/days/view/635

Basically the “fors” outweigh the “againsts” by 2:1. It has some interesting stats on same-sex marriage, and children brought up by same-sex partners. Useful for referencing in other debates!

‚ÄúGhana is a democratic state that allows for freedom of expression but is careful not to link it with freedom of choice. The former is very much respected by all Ghanaians but the latter, which allows everyone to be what he is, is frowned upon by all. This attitude is in contravention of United Nation’s declaration of human rights which states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The declaration continues that all human beings are endowed with reason and conscience.‚Äù

01/06/11

Zimbabwe: International Committee for Prostitutes’ Rights: In the Eye of the HIV/Aids Storm.

Ignatius Banda

http://www.bayswan.org/ICPRChart.html

Bulawayo ‚Äî Teenage commercial sex workers are finding themselves at the centre of the HIV/AIDS storm amid concerns of widespread lack of condom use and a spike in the number of infections among this demographic, despite the country’s continuing HIV/AIDS campaigns, which health authorities say has seen a drop in prevalence in the past few years.

A Ugandan judge ruled in favour of a petition to stop media companies from outing homosexuals on Monday, a lawyer told AFP. The judge ruled that publishing the identities of people perceived to be homosexual, violated Uganda’s constitutional right to privacy, said John Francis Onyango who represented the three gay rights campaigners

01/02/11

Uganda bars media from outing gays.

Staff Writer, BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12107596

‚ÄúA Ugandan High Court judge has ruled that media companies in the country should not publish the identities of people they say are homosexuals.‚Äù

An appeals court says public marriage commissioners cannot refuse to marry same-sex couples on religious grounds.//newline//Advocates for gays and lesbians say this case sets an important precedent that will help to deter discrimination against same-sex couples who want to marry.//newline//The Supreme Court of Canada affirmed the validity of same-sex marriages in 2004.

12/30/10

UN General Assembly overturns anti-gay vote.

Rex Wockner, Bay Area Reporter.

http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=5359

‚ÄúThe United Nations General Assembly on December 21 overturned its recent vote that removed a reference to sexual orientation from a resolution against extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.‚Äù

‚ÄúUgandan pastor Martin Ssempa has been charged with blackmail for allegedly paying a man to falsely accuse another pastor of sexual assault. Ssempa is notorious in Uganda and around the world for his anti-LGBT sentiments and past efforts. Ssempa, along with seven other anti-LGBT Christian activists, is accused of hiring and paying a man named Robson Matovu to claim that he was sodomized by Pastor Robert Kayanja of Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral in Kampala.‚Äù

Police Harassment of Transgender Activists Must End//newline// On June 19, 2010, three human rights defenders were arbitrarily detained by police officers while driving through the Seyranbaglari Mah neighborhood in Ankara

‚ÄúThe United States has successfully persuaded the United Nations to include “sexual orientation” as a category of vulnerable populations whose targeted killings the world body condemns.//newline//The resolution was adopted by the General Assembly on a vote of 122 in favor and 0 against, with 59 nations abstaining.//newline//Controversy broke out after African and Arab states successfully stripped the resolution of a reference to killings for reasons of “sexual orientation,” which was included along with killings for racial, national, ethnic, religious, or linguistic reasons, and killings of refugees, indigenous people, and other groups.‚Äù

‚ÄúA culture war has broken out at the UN over whether gay people should be offered the same protections as other minorities whose lives are threatened. The issue will come to a head today when the general assembly votes on renewing its routine condemnation of the unjustified killing of various categories of vulnerable people. It specifies killings for racial, national, ethnic, religious or linguistic reasons, and includes refugees, indigenous people and other groups. But because of a change promoted by Arab and African nations and approved at committee level, the resolution drops ‚Äòsexual orientation‚Äô and replaces it with ‚Äòdiscriminatory reasons on any basis‚Äô.‚Äù

12/21/10

Netherlands: As the Netherlands freezes, the government evicts asylum seekers

Despite promises by Minister Leers (immigration and asylum) are in the freezing cold, asylum seekers put on the street. That happened recently in the refugee camps and Geeuwenbrug Emmen and is today the couple Harut and Mary Melkenyan from Armenia in Apeldoorn azc waiting.

‚Äú ‚ÄòHomophobia has always existed in Uganda,‚Äô [said gay Ugandan Frank Mugisha.] ‚ÄòBut I would say it’s greatly increased over the past two years, ever since American evangelicals came to Uganda.‚Äô ‚Äù

12/17/10

Uganda: Press Statement On The Blocking Of Screening A Human Rights Documentary By Hon Nsaba Buturo.

In an unprecedented public appearance in support of global LGBT rights UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and United States Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice appeared on a panel condemning violence against LGBT and the continued criminalization of gay people in more than 70 countries worldwide.

Persecution of gays is intensifying across Africa, fueled by fundamentalist preachers, intolerant governments and homophobic politicians. Gay people have been denied access to health care, detained, tortured and even killed, human rights activists and witnesses say.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted overwhelmingly in favor of restoring reference to “sexual orientation” in a high-profile resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The reference to sexual orientation had been removed by an earlier amendment at the committee level by governments opposed to ensuring protection for individuals targeted because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation.

‚ÄúGay people across Africa are facing an unprecedented wave of persecution powered by fundamentalist religion, human-rights activists say. ‚ÄòIt has never been harder for gays and lesbians on the continent,‚Äô Monica Mbaru, Africa coordinator for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in Cape Town, South Africa, told The Washington Post.‚Äù

12/10/10

U.N., U.S. Officials Call for Gay Rights.

Staff Writer, Associated Press.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/12/10/world/main7138538.shtml

‚ÄúU.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called for an end to laws around the world that criminalize homosexuality, stressing the need to pay more urgent attention to gay and gender identity rights on Friday as the world marked Human Rights Day.¬†‚ÄòToday, many nations have modern constitutions that guarantee essential rights and liberties. And yet, homosexuality is considered a crime in more than 70 countries,‚Äô Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. ‚ÄòThat is not right.‚Äô ‚Äù¬†

‚ÄúLong seen as a fringe societal taboo far from the realm of African politics, homosexuality is emerging as a hot- button issue throughout much of the continent.¬†Kenya, East Africa’s economic hub, joined the trend in late November when Prime Minister Raila Odinga told supporters in the Nairobi slum of Kibera that he would order police to arrest gays. ‚ÄòWe will not tolerate such behavior in the country. The Constitution is very clear on this issue, and men or women found engaging in homosexuality will not be spared,‚Äô Mr. Odinga said in Swahili, in comments that were taped by several news organizations. ‚ÄòAny man found engaging in sexual activities with another man should be arrested. Even women found engaging in sexual activities will be arrested.‚Äô ‚Äù

12/03/10

Uganda: 120 Sabiny girls circumcised.

Frederick Womakuyu

http://newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/740060

SOME cried. Some were confused. Others still traumatised, while many were left speechless.They looked on in disbelief as a local female surgeon tried in vain thrice, probably using a very blunt knife, to cut off a girl‚Äôs clitoris.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is in the grip of a humanitarian crisis brought on by five years of brutal war. Sexual violence has been used as a weapon by all sides and no-one is immune.//newline//In a country where homosexuality is taboo, Newsnight hears rare testimony from a man who was raped by soldiers while he was walking to his farm.

11/22/10

UK: Islamic schools ‚Äòteaching pupils that gays should be executed‚Äô

Around 5,000 children at Islamic weekend schools are being taught homophobic and anti-semitic views, it has been claimed. According to a BBC Panorama investigation to be screened tonight, the Sharia law classes use textbooks which tell children that the penalty for gay sex is execution, that ‚ÄúZionists‚Äù are plotting to take over the world for the Jews and the correct way to cut off the hands and feet of convicted thieves. One book for six-year-olds asks children what happens to someone who does not believe in Islam. The answer, according to the programme, is ‚Äúhellfire‚Äù.

11/22/10

UK:Network of schools teaching Muslim children that gays should be stoned to death – Gay Traveller.

//newline//JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)//newline//Moses, a gay Ugandan man seeking asylum in the United States, hides his face with a makeshift hood as he attends a press conference in Washington, DC,//newline//No one expects Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Liberia to start printing gay-marriage licenses any time soon. But would it be too much to ask that these countries at least oppose the targeted murder of homosexuals?//newline//As it does every two years, a committee of the United Nations General Assembly has been fashioning a resolution calling for states to prosecute the extrajudicial killings of people because of their race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, language or other identifying characteristics. In past years, sexual orientation has been part of this list. But thanks to an amendment supported by a group of African and Muslim nations ‚Äî which passed by a vote of 79-70 ‚Äî the reference to sexual orientation has been struck from this year‚Äôs resolution. The effective message is that killing someone because they‚Äôre gay just isn‚Äôt that bad.

11/21/10

Saudi Arabia: Child marriage seen as a cure for gayness

Brian Whitaker

al-bab.com ‚Äìhttp://madikazemi.blogspot.com/2010/11/in-saudi-arabia-child-marriage-seen-as.html
According to Sabeeha, one of the major benefits of early marriage (and by “early” we’re talking here about early teens) is that it preserves you from getting into illicit romances or ‚Äì heaven forbid ‚Äì turning gay.

A planned conference by sex workers, which was scheduled to start Thursday in Entebbe, was abruptly halted by the government, saying it was illegal. The conference organised by Akina Mama Wa Afrika, an international women‚Äôs rights NGO with offices in Kampala, was to be held in a hotel in Entebbe.//newline//Addressing journalists in Kampala Thursday, Ethics minister James Nsaba Buturo said the conference, which government learnt of on Wednesday, had attracted prostitutes from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

11/18/10

Cameroon’s Gay Crusader.

Michelle Garcia

http://www.advocate.com/News/News_Features/Cameroons_Gay_Crusader/

In a country with strict antigay laws, Cameroon’s Steave Nemande is working to ensure that LGBT citizens have the basics ‚Äî like money for rent and food to eat in prison.

Milton Allimadi, Ugandan-American editor and publisher of the New York City-based Black Star News, says that the bill’s resurgence serves to distract from Uganda’s real political crisis as much as to persecute its LGBT community:

11/09/10

Criminalising homosexuality in the DRC .

Sokari Ekine

http://www.afronline.org/?p=10216

The DRC parliament is in the process of discussing legislation which will criminalise homosexuality.//newline//There are a number of major difference between the DRC Bill and legislation proposed in for example, Nigeria and Uganda which have proposed similar legislation. First the DRC does not presently have any laws on homosexuality and secondly this Bill includes a clause criminalising zooophilia which is directly associated with homosexuality ‚Äú.//newline//The Bill is framed in the usual language that homosexuality is ‚ÄúunAfrican‚Äù against ‚Äòour‚Äô culture, ‚Äòthreat‚Äô to family and religious preservation. In other areas the Bill is similar in that it also aims to criminalise any activities that directly or indirectly aim to promoting the rights LGBTI persons, therefore, in accordance with section 174h3 of the Bill, ‚Äúall publications, posters, pamphlets, (or) films highlighting or likely to arouse or encourage sexual practices against nature are forbidden within the territory of the DRC (Section 174h3)‚Äù and ‚Äúall associations that promote or defend sexual relations against nature are forbidden within the territory of the DRC.‚Äù

11/04/10

Even after death, abuse against gays continues.

Staff Writer, Associated Press.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36376840/ns/world_news-africa/page/2/

‚ÄúIn the past two years, at least four men suspected of being gay have been exhumed by angry mobs in cemeteries in Senegal. The violence is especially shocking because Senegal, unlike other countries in the region, is considered a model of tolerance. ‚ÄòIt’s jarring to see this happen in Senegal,‚Äô says Ryan Thoreson, a fellow at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission who has been researching the rise of homophobia here. ‚ÄòWhen something like this happens in an established democracy, it’s alarming.‚Äô ‚Äù

11/02/10

Uganda court orders anti-gay paper to shut: group.

Staff Writer, Reuters.

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE6A103F20101102

‚ÄúA Ugandan newspaper that published names and pictures of what it said were homosexuals in Uganda and called on authorities to hang them has been ordered to cease publishing, a gay rights leader said on Monday. Frank Mugisha, chairman of the Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMU), said his group had petitioned the high court to order Rolling Stone to stop work because it was exposing innocent people to discrimination, ridicule, intimidation and possible violence.‚Äù

Today I pray for people in Africa and throughout the world who long for freedom because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. It grieves me to be retiring at this crucial moment in history, so I write to you in this open letter, to invite you to pick up the work that remains to be done. More than 70 countries still imprison or execute gay and transgender people, and bullying and murders are all too common. This must change.

‚ÄúThe front-page newspaper [of Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone] story featured a list of Uganda’s 100 ‚Äòtop‚Äô homosexuals, with a bright yellow banner across it that read: “Hang Them.” Alongside their photos were the men’s names and addresses.‚Äù

A Turkish judge has dismissed the case against 5 transgender activists from Pembe Hayat LGBT Solidarity group an Ankara-based transgender rights organization, citing the lack of evidence against the defendants.

‚ÄúAt least four gay Ugandans have been attacked and many more are in hiding following the publication of an article in the country‚Äôs¬†Rolling Stone¬†newspaper, which called for ‚Äòthe hanging of homos‚Äô.‚Äù

At least four gays have been attacked in Uganda since the publication of a front-page newspaper story that listed the African nation’s 100 “top” homosexuals, according to activists there.//newline//The October 9 article in a Ugandan newspaper called Rolling Stone included photographs and addresses of the 100 individuals alongside a yellow banner that read: “Hang Them.”

10/10/10

Gay rights in Africa: now for the good news.

Paul Canning, Guardian UK.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/10/gay-rights-africa

“Increasingly the movement is becoming mainstreamed as legitimate stakeholders in the civil society,” [said openly gay Kenyan senate candidate David Kuria]. “It is not uncommon to hear people now talk on the issues of sexual minorities in the same sentence with other minorities ‚Äì this coming from people who only a couple of years, even months ago would not have even listened to such issues.”

‚ÄúStudent activists at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, are planning to stage an anti-homophobia protest today after a symbolic ‘pink closet’ sculpture intended to highlight the effects of homophobia was burnt down.‚Äù

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reverses the decision of Carey R. Holliday, a Bush-appointed immigration judge in Florida who refused asylum to a Serbian man on the grounds that he did ‚Äúnot appear to be overtly gay…it is not readily apparent to a person who would see this gentleman for the first time that, that is the case, since he bears no effeminate traits or any other trait that would mark him as a homosexual.‚Äù

10/07/10

PERU: Call on Peruvian Authorities for Justice in Murder of HIV/AIDS and Gay Activist.

This very good news is not orphan. It came after what has been a crazy week in Russia.//newline//First, there was the decision of the Russian President to dismiss the Mayor of Moscow. Yuri Luzhkov was the man who qualified gay prides as “satanic gatherings” and gays as “weapons of mass destruction”. He is also the one who used the word “faggot” to name us on TV and who called gays responsible for spreading HIV in Russia. But most of all, Yuri Luzhkov deserves his name in the Guinness World Records Book for personally banning over 200 LGBT public actions in Moscow. I had the chance to see one of our applications with the word “to ban” written from his hand.

10/05/10

Bashing gays simply not on; wishing them away is an exercise in futility.

Alfred Mugambi, Kenyan Daily Nation.

http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/-/440808/1026632/-/nx94b6z/-/

A Kenyan lawyer editorializes against anti-gay voices in his country, arguing that ‚Äú[i]t is a documented historical fact that liaisons of a romantic nature between men have existed among a number of African tribes, including as close to home as the Buganda kingdom. It does not get more African than that. The upshot of this is that there is really nothing like ‚ÄúAfrican culture‚Äù.

10/01/10

El Salvador: The violation of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in El Salvador.

IGLHRC

http://www.iglhrc.org/binary-data/ATTACHMENT/file/000/000/439-1.pdf

Acts of violence and discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population in El Salvador keep occurring, and the perpetrators remain unpunished

A Cabinet minister has stirred a hornet‚Äôs nest with a suggestion that Kenyans should accept homosexuality and learn to live with it. The Minister says the government is ready to allocate resources for community‚Äôs welfare

A Ghanian editorialist argues ‚Äú[t]hat homosexual sex is not Ghanaian can‚Äôt be true; what may not be Ghanaian is homophobia. Homosexual sex is practiced in all cultures including Africa. A little honesty on the part of Ghana scholars will settle this matter. I am not implying homosexual sex is accepted it our culture, but it was never imported. Homosexual sex existed in Ghanaian cultures, but Ghanaians had their own ways of dealing with sexual offences, including homosexual sex; the kind of homophobic behavior we are exhibiting is rather not Ghanaian.‚Äù

09/30/10

Rwanda: Anglican Archbishop-Elect Vows to Fight Gay Marriage.

Eugene Mutara

http://allafrica.com/stories/201009300297.html

Archbishop elect, Onesphore Rwaje, “Anything that is contrary to God’s family set-up is not acceptable; there is nowhere in the Bible where same-sex marriage is encouraged. God created a man and woman to be the basis of a family,” the Archbishop-elect told The New Times, a week after he was elected to succeed Kolini.

09/30/10

Rwanda:¬†Anglican Archbishop-Elect Vows to Fight Gay Marriage.

Eugene Mutara, AllAfrica News.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201009300297.html

‚ÄúArchbishop elect Onesphore Rwaje‚Ä¶ , has vowed to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps by taking a firm stand against homosexuality. “Anything that is contrary to God’s family set-up is not acceptable; there is nowhere in the Bible where same-sex marriage is encouraged. God created a man and woman to be the basis of a family.‚Äù In the past, Rwaje has referred to homosexuality as a form of ‚Äúmoral genocide‚Äù and ‚Äúcultural imperialism.‚Äù

09/29/10

Focus on gays not real issue for Africa, says Angolan bishop.

Trevor Grundy, Episcopal Life Online.

http://www.episcopal-life.org/81808_124796_ENG_HTM.htm

Andre Soares, Bishop of Angola, has said that ‚Äúthe main problems facing Angolan Christians are not gay and lesbian rights, abortion, or the ordination of women as priests, but poverty, disease, malaria, and the re-emergence of tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, as well as the need for wider democracy.‚Äù

Jeff Sharlet discusses his latest book at DC‚Äôs Politics and Prose bookstore, carefully laying out the financial, logistical, and theological connections that tie the Family to the Ugandan situation.//newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline//

Out Ugandan activist Val Kalenda shares her personal story and analysis of the political situation in her country: ‚ÄúGovernment knows it is easier to hunt down homosexuals than to provide quality social services. This is how politicians in Africa keep themselves in power. Our government should be focusing on providing nondiscriminatory healthcare, tabling anti-corruption bills and holding fair and free presidential and parliamentary elections next year. The state has no business in what happens between two consenting, same-sex adults unless one of them is complaining.‚Äù

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has called on countries to abolish laws that discriminate against gays and lesbians, arguing that cultural concerns cannot justify discriminating against people because of their sexual orientation.

09/10/10

Report: Legal Representation Helps Asylum Seekers Succeed in Court.

Marcia Coyle, National Law Journal

http://www.law.com/jsp/nlj/PubArticleNLJ.jsp?id=1202471654528

‚ÄúAsylum seekers’ rate of success in the nation’s immigration courts is the highest it has been in 25 years and one significant factor is increased legal representation, new research has found.¬†‚Äú

‚Äú”I saw a member of parliament who attended, talking very bitter and vowing to kill everyone–including their sons and daughters–if they were proved homosexuals,” [Ugandan gay activist Peter Yiga] told¬†BW¬†by Internet video conference from Uganda‚Ä¶ “The church and other leaders have done a lot to brainwash people, and all the community now is readily spitting fire against homosexuality. They are planning to kill or panga [machete] us. We have been running from house to house because when a neighborhood learns about your orientation, then you should expect mob justice anytime.‚Äù

‚ÄúMugabe has also been ‚Äúscoffing‚Äù at advocates of gay rights. He took the visit of the wholly unknown Anglican Bishop Walter Roberto Crespo from Ecuador, to denounce homosexuality as ‚Äúdirt‚Äù and ‚Äúfilth‚Äù. President Mugabe was ‚Äúrevered‚Äù in Ecuador we were told. We wonder how many Ecuadorians have actually heard of him?‚Äù

‚ÄúMugabe has also been ‚Äúscoffing‚Äù at advocates of gay rights. He took the visit of the wholly unknown Anglican Bishop Walter Roberto Crespo from Ecuador, to denounce homosexuality as ‚Äúdirt‚Äù and ‚Äúfilth‚Äù. President Mugabe was ‚Äúrevered‚Äù in Ecuador we were told. We wonder how many Ecuadorians have actually heard of him?‚Äù

09/01/10

Dangerous Liaisons.

Jeff Sharlet, The Advocate.

http://advocate.com/Print_Issue/Cover_Stories/Dangerous_Liaisons/

‚ÄúAntigay Americans are losing the culture war, so they‚Äôre exporting their hatred to Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria ‚Äî where their fervor is so welcome it threatens to sweep the entire continent.‚Äù//newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline//

The protection of human rights is key in the efforts to control the HIV epidemic. THE personal testimonies recorded in the World AIDS day brochure of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean tells the story of how human rights fulfilment and violations can facilitate or impede people‚Äôs access to effective HIV prevention measures and treatment. Samer, a male person living with HIV (PLHIV), tells of his experience with the consequences of a breach to his right to privacy.//newline//‚ÄúI was feeling very sick, so sick that they took me to the hospital. They found out I was HIV positive there. They told my brother before they told me. My family did not want me around the house any longer.‚Äù

‚ÄúThe New Zealand arm of “ex gay” group¬†Exodus has lost a bid to gain charity status, because the government there says that being gay is okay–and not a disease requiring charitable support, reportedGayNZ.com¬†in an August 30 article.‚Äù

‚ÄúThe New Zealand arm of “ex gay” group¬†Exodus has lost a bid to gain charity status, because the government there says that being gay is okay–and not a disease requiring charitable support, reportedGayNZ.com¬†in an August 30 article.‚Äù

‚ÄúA news outlet dedicated to HIV issues says that the “ex-gay industry,” which is predicated on the claim that gays and lesbains can be “cured” and “converted” to heterosexuality, relies on a fear of AIDS to help spread its message–but that in practical effect, such groups contribute to the spread of the virus.‚Äù

‚ÄúA news outlet dedicated to HIV issues says that the “ex-gay industry,” which is predicated on the claim that gays and lesbains can be “cured” and “converted” to heterosexuality, relies on a fear of AIDS to help spread its message–but that in practical effect, such groups contribute to the spread of the virus.‚Äù

‚ÄúUgandan parliament member¬†David Bahati thinks so. The author of the East African country’s¬†anti-gay bill¬†told¬†Harper‚Äôscontributing editor¬†Jeff Sharlet¬†that “‘If you come here [to Uganda], you’ll see homosexuals from Europe and America are luring our children into homosexuality by distributing cell phones and iPods and things like this,'” Sharlet¬†recounts¬†in an interview on yesterday’s “Fresh Air.” How iPods lead to same-sex relationships is beyond me save maybe constant replays of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.”As Sharlet points out, it’s actually¬†anti-gay hysteria¬†that’s getting exported to Uganda, and the exporters are evangelicals from the US of A.‚Äù

Gay Ugandan In Exile Calls On Anglican Leaders To Denounce Uganda‚Äôs Anti-Homosexuality Bill at the All African Bishops Conference.

Wayne Besen, TruthWinsOut.org.

http://www.truthwinsout.org/pressreleases/2010/08/10640/

‚ÄúIt is time for Christian leaders in Africa to start promoting peace and stop persecuting LGBT people,‚Äù said Kushaba Moses Mworeko, who recently escaped to the United States. ‚ÄúI call on the Anglican Church to speak out forcefully against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill and to support decriminalizing gay relationships across the continent. As the church grows in Africa it must choose to be a force for good and not intolerance.‚Äù//newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline// //newline//

“Today, the West is lacking obedience to the word of God,” Reverend Ian Ernest of Mauritius told journalists on the sidelines of the conference. “It is for us (Africans) to redress the situation,” he said, adding that he has severed all ties to the Episcopalian churches in Canada and the United States that have allowed gays to enter the clergy.

‚ÄúUganda‚Äôs¬†David Bahati¬†gets a profile in the Daily Monitor, and each time the legislator opens his mouth he lies though his lying teeth. The infamous lawmaker,¬†known for sponsoring Uganda‚Äôs ‚Äúkill¬†gays‚Äù bill, is presented as a humble family man who just wants to give back to the community. As for his proposed law, he argues it is based in his¬†profound worries about the future for Ugandan children. And heavens no, he doesn‚Äôt hate gays. As long as they are killed. ‚ÄúIt is in Leviticus. Go and read ‚Äì the penalty for homosexuality is death.‚Äù

08/05/10

What is So African About Anti-Homosexuality and Anti-Terrorism?.

Chambi Chachage, AllAfricaNews

http://allafrica.com/stories/201008060884.html

‚ÄúAncient and contemporary history, whether that of Africa or the world, does not confirm [the conclusion that] ‘Homosexuality is one of the greatest paradoxes of our time, a pervasion that is gradually being imposed on Africa.’ This is an ancient practice – even if it was not performed in public in certain places – here and elsewhere. Somehow the practice has persisted to our times.‚Äù

08/02/10

Nana Lithur right on the rights of homosexuals – CHRAJ.

Staff Writer, Ghana News Agency

http://www.ghananewsagency.org/s_social/r_18829/

Anna Bossman, Deputy Commissioner in charge of Legal and Investigations for Ghana‚Äôs Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, stated in a press conference that “(t)he constitutional provision on human rights is clear‚Ä¶ we cannot put moral judgment on it‚Ä¶ every person in Ghana, whatever his race, place of origin, political opinion, colour, religion, creed or gender shall be entitled to the fundamental human rights and freedoms.‚Äù

Self-described ‚ÄúKuchus‚Äù ‚Äì the Swahili term used to designated people who self-identify as LGBTI in Uganda ‚Äì are busy organizing grassroots responses to the country‚Äôs proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, fueling a wave of sexual minority activism unprecedented in sub-Saharan Africa.

Research conducted by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association shows that 76 countries still prosecute people on the grounds of their sexual orientation , seven of which punish same-sex acts with death.

Research conducted by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association shows that 76 countries still prosecute people on the grounds of their sexual orientation , seven of which punish same-sex acts with death.

Same-sex marriages take place all over Argentina the day that country‚Äôs marriage equality legislation took effect.

07/31/10

Homosexuality will not be tolerated, says south Sudan president.

Staff Writer, Sudan Tribune

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article35815

Regional President Salva Kiir Mayardit told Dutch media that homosexuality will be persecuted in southern Sudan in the event that a 2011 referendum results in the political autonomy of that area: ‚Äúis not in our character […] it is not there and if anybody wants to import it to Sudan […] it will always be condemned by everybody.‚Äù

07/29/10

Have gays in Uganda been arrested? Ssempa says no, Mbale says yes.

Warren Throckmorton, Crosswalk.com

http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/EWThrockmorton/11635562/

In an interview hosted by a conservative Christian media outlet, Ugandan anti-gay extremist Martin Ssempa made the dubious claim that ‚Äú¬†in the history of Uganda for the last 50 years‚Ä¶ since we’ve had a law against homosexuality, no homosexual has been arrested or killed for homosexuality.‚Äù

07/28/10

The Promised Land.

Will O‚ÄôBryan, Metro Weekly

http://www.metroweekly.com/feature/?ak=5459

Kushaba Moses Mworeko, an openly gay Ugandan seeking asylum in the US, recounts his life story. Mworeko‚Äôs account of political repression, religious intolerance, forced marriage, and Christian redemption illustrates in a powerfully personal fashion what‚Äôs at stake in the fight for Africa. //newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline////newline//

Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy and research at The Ethics Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, echoed the anxieties of many American evangelicals following the UN‚Äôs decision to grant NGO consultant status to the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission: ‚ÄúIt is extremely distressing that the Obama administration would exert extraordinary pressure on the United Nations to gain membership for a group that is so obviously opposed to the foundational American principle of freedom of speech.‚Äù

Ignatius Muhambe, the Zimbabwean gay rights activist arrested and tortured for his alleged criticism of President Robert Mugabe, has been acquitted of the charged that he possessed gay porn.

07/22/10

Corrupting Influence.

Richard Rosendall, Metro Weekly

http://www.metroweekly.com/news/opinion/?ak=5446

‚ÄúOppression of women and gays, suppression of free speech, and denial of religious freedom are not legitimized because they are practiced by African governments. Any human being and any society can oppress. To insist otherwise infantilizes the designated victims and provides cover for new predators.‚Äù

07/22/10

Latin America‚Äôs Support for Same-Sex Marriage.

German Lodola and Margarita Corral, Americas Quarterly

http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/1728

This scholarly article examines trends in public opinion regarding marriage equality throughout Latin America: ‚ÄúThe data reconfirm that citizens in Latin America and Caribbean, on average, express relatively low levels of support for same-sex marriage. But there is also significant cross-national variation. At the individual-level of analysis, our statistical analysis indicates that strong religious values and more conservative ideologies have a significant negative impact on individual support for homosexuals having the right to marry. In addition, we found that levels of support are higher among wealthier people, individuals living in larger cities, and women. In our analyses of national-level factors, we found strong empirical evidence supporting the classic claim that both economic development and education increase tolerance for homosexual rights.‚Äù

07/22/10

Latin America‚Äôs Support for Same-Sex Marriage.

German Lodola and Margarita Corral, Americas Quarterly

http://www.americasquarterly.org/node/1728

This scholarly article examines trends in public opinion regarding marriage equality throughout Latin America: ‚ÄúThe data reconfirm that citizens in Latin America and Caribbean, on average, express relatively low levels of support for same-sex marriage. But there is also significant cross-national variation. At the individual-level of analysis, our statistical analysis indicates that strong religious values and more conservative ideologies have a significant negative impact on individual support for homosexuals having the right to marry. In addition, we found that levels of support are higher among wealthier people, individuals living in larger cities, and women. In our analyses of national-level factors, we found strong empirical evidence supporting the classic claim that both economic development and education increase tolerance for homosexual rights.‚Äù

Val Kalende, an out Ugandan lesbian who lost her job as a reporter after criticizing the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, recently completed a speaking tour funded by the US State Department intended to raise awareness of the plight of LGBT people in her country. Kalende warns that a modified version of the bill will likely be passed and be used by President Yoweri Museveni to crack down on political opponents.

07/22/10

Uganda Rejects AU Gay Group.

Cyprian Musoke, The New Vision Uganda.

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/13/726692

The Ugandan foreign service has opposed the pending recognition of a gay-rights NGO, the Coalition of African Lesbians, as on official observer of African Union conferences. The Ugandan ambassador cited the importance of ‚Äú(protecting).. African values‚Äù in her statement.

This has made the pope cave in on Condom usage. Anti-gay laws in the Asia-Pacific region are causing higher rates of HIV infections, the UN has warned. In a statement released at the World AIDS Conference in Vienna, the UNDP said: ‚ÄúSome 19 of 48 countries in the Asia Pacific region continue to criminalise male-to-male sex.

Nigerian Anglican Bishop Nicholos Okoh made comments to the British press regarding his fears of the growing influence of Islam and increasing visibility of LGBT people in sub-Saharan Africa. Okoh calls for ‚Äúideological purity‚Äù among young Nigerians, and advocates breaking ties with the gay-friendly global Anglican Communion.

The U.N. Economic and Social Council has voted to accredit the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission after strong lobbying by the U.S. administration. The 54-member council approved the U.S.-based group’s application for consultative status by a vote of 23-13 with 13 abstentions.

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe said the country will not listen to those who want gay rights to be mentioned in a draft of the new constitution: ‚ÄúWe say no to gay rights.‚Äù

07/15/10

Kuwait: Did X Factor ‘out’ a gay asylum seeker, putting him in danger?

Paul Canning

http://madikazemi.blogspot.com/2010/07/did-x-factor-out-gay-asylum-seeker.html
The production company for hit TV show X Factor passed the real name to the Sun newspaper of a contestant who is a young Middle Eastern gay asylum seeker, he has claimed in comments published by Manchester’sLesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF) and then Pink Paper

07/15/10

Nigeria: Homosexuality and pedophilia must be condemned, says primate.

Matthew Davies, Episcopal Life Online

http://www.episcopal-life.org/81808_123483_ENG_HTM.htm

Anglican Archbishop Nicholas Okoh of Nigeria told¬†reporters at a July 14 press conference that “same-sex marriage, pedophilia and all sexual pervasions [sic]¬†should be roundly condemned,” further claiming that ‚Äú(the Christian) church in the West [is using] their money to spread the homosexual lifestyle in African societies and churches; after all Africa is poor.”

07/13/10

U.S. Church Lends Help To Anti-Gay Ugandan Pastor.

Barbara Bradley Hagerty, NPR

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128491183

Kevin Odor, head pastor of the Las Vegas-based Canyon Ridge Christian Church which financially supports Ugandan anti-gay extremist Martin Ssempa, dubiously claims that the latter has been misrepresented in American media and ‚Äúsees no reason to condemn the minister‚Ä¶ [nor to] denounce the Anti-Homosexuality Bill.‚Äù

Citing ‚Äúdirect conflict with the overarching public health goals of the health district,‚Äù the Southern Nevada Health District severed its ties with Canyon Ridge Community Church, a conservative evangelical congregation with close ties to Ugandan anti-gay extremist Martin Ssempa. SNHD once regularly cooperated with the Church to provide HIV testing services.

06/15/10

Documentary: Exporting Hate (watch).

In The Life Media

http://www.inthelifetv.org/html/episodes/108.html

In 2009, the Ugandan Parliamentary proposed an anti-homosexuality bill that would impose the death penalty on serial offenders of homosexual acts. Inciting fear and sanctioning homophobia, the bill has caused LGBT Ugandans to be hunted in their communities and forced into exile. IN THE LIFE focuses on the evangelicals behind the bill, and exposes the political and financial influence used by powerful conservatives in the U.S. to export their anti-gay agenda overseas.‚Äù

06/04/10

Steven and Tiwonge could be rearrested if they continue loving each other.

While the two Malawian gay men Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga have been granted a presidential pardon on ‚Äúhumanitarian grounds‚Äù, annulling a 14 year sentence for ‚Äúgross indecency and unnatural acts‚Äù, speculation is mounting on the exact conditions of their release.

06/04/10

Steven and Tiwonge could be rearrested if they continue loving each other.

While the two Malawian gay men Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga have been granted a presidential pardon on ‚Äúhumanitarian grounds‚Äù, annulling a 14 year sentence for ‚Äúgross indecency and unnatural acts‚Äù, speculation is mounting on the exact conditions of their release.

President Museveni said Ugandans are opposed to homosexuality because it is not part of African culture. Speaking to Christians who gathered to mark the Uganda Martyrs Day at the Anglican shrine in Nakiyanja, President Museveni castigated Europeans for imposing what he called western culture onto African countries.

President Museveni said Ugandans are opposed to homosexuality because it is not part of African culture. Speaking to Christians who gathered to mark the Uganda Martyrs Day at the Anglican shrine in Nakiyanja, President Museveni castigated Europeans for imposing what he called western culture onto African countries.

Religious leaders and organisations have greatly fuelled homophobia in Burundi. These are the findings of a report titled Religion and homophobia, released recently by the Movement for Individual Freedoms (MOLI), a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisation in Burundi.

Religious leaders and organisations have greatly fuelled homophobia in Burundi. These are the findings of a report titled Religion and homophobia, released recently by the Movement for Individual Freedoms (MOLI), a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisation in Burundi.

President Jacob Zuma‚Äôs statement repudiating the 14 year sentence of a Malawian gay couple, who were later released, was nothing but his lips making the right noises because they are expected to, concerned South African citizens have said.

06/01/10

Homosexuality ‚Äì is Zuma barking with dogs one day, howling with foxes the next?

President Jacob Zuma‚Äôs statement repudiating the 14 year sentence of a Malawian gay couple, who were later released, was nothing but his lips making the right noises because they are expected to, concerned South African citizens have said.

Current TV premiered an important new documentary called Missionaries of Hate which explores efforts of American evangelicals to foment hatred and violence against gays in Uganda in the name of religion.//newline//Watch all six segments, plus interviews with the director Mariana van Zeller, American Evangelical Scott Lively, and Ugandan MP David Bahati, author of the “kill the gays” bill.

06/01/10

Watch: ‚ÄòMissionaries of Hate‚Äô, a new Documentary explording American Evangelical anti-gay efforts in Uganda.

Current TV premiered an important new documentary called Missionaries of Hate which explores efforts of American evangelicals to foment hatred and violence against gays in Uganda in the name of religion.//newline//Watch all six segments, plus interviews with the director Mariana van Zeller, American Evangelical Scott Lively, and Ugandan MP David Bahati, author of the “kill the gays” bill.

06/01/10

Zimbabwe Veterans Vow To Fight Homosexuals.

Alice Chimora, AfrikNews

http://www.afrik-news.com/article17719.html

Zimbabwe‚Äôs ageing liberation fighters have made a vow: ‚Äúthere will be no room for gays in Zimbabwe‚Äù. They say it is against what they fought for during the liberation struggle. ‚ÄúYou cannot change the direction of a struggle, but only improve the road. Do you think those who died for the liberation of the country died for gay marriages?‚Äù, asked Jabulani Sibanda, the veterans leader.

06/01/10

Zimbabwe Veterans Vow To Fight Homosexuals.

Alice Chimora, AfrikNews

http://www.afrik-news.com/article17719.html

Zimbabwe‚Äôs ageing liberation fighters have made a vow: ‚Äúthere will be no room for gays in Zimbabwe‚Äù. They say it is against what they fought for during the liberation struggle. ‚ÄúYou cannot change the direction of a struggle, but only improve the road. Do you think those who died for the liberation of the country died for gay marriages?‚Äù, asked Jabulani Sibanda, the veterans leader.

05/27/10

African Statesman Condemns Homosexuality As An ‚ÄòAbomination‚Äô.

David Smith, Guardian UK

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/25/gay-rights-africa-malawi

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo publicly condemned homosexuality and defended the rights of African nations to persecute LGBT people, citing his own conservative Christian beliefs. Obasanjo sits on the Africa Progress Panel with such pro-equality activists as Kofi Annan and Bob Geldof.

05/27/10

African Statesman Condemns Homosexuality As An ‚ÄòAbomination‚Äô.

David Smith, Guardian UK

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/may/25/gay-rights-africa-malawi

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo publicly condemned homosexuality and defended the rights of African nations to persecute LGBT people, citing his own conservative Christian beliefs. Obasanjo sits on the Africa Progress Panel with such pro-equality activists as Kofi Annan and Bob Geldof.

05/27/10

Detained Gay Activists Beaten And Tortured By Police.

Violet Gonda, SWRadioAfrica News

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news260510/detainedgay250510.htm

Two LGBT activists arrested for their criticism of President Robert Mugabe have been tortured at the hands of Zimabwean police. The police have also sought to locate and persecute citizens associated with the activists.

05/27/10

Detained Gay Activists Beaten And Tortured By Police.

Violet Gonda, SWRadioAfrica News

http://www.swradioafrica.com/news260510/detainedgay250510.htm

Two LGBT activists arrested for their criticism of President Robert Mugabe have been tortured at the hands of Zimabwean police. The police have also sought to locate and persecute citizens associated with the activists.

Ellen Chademana and Ignatius Muhambi, two Harare-based LGBT activists, were arrested by Zimbabwean police after materials critical of President Robert Mugabe‚Äôs homophobia were found in a raid on their office.

Ellen Chademana and Ignatius Muhambi, two Harare-based LGBT activists, were arrested by Zimbabwean police after materials critical of President Robert Mugabe‚Äôs homophobia were found in a raid on their office.

Prevalance of Homophobia surveys conducted in the north-west of England by Oldham National Union of Teachers have revealed shock figures relating to homophobic bullying in schools.

05/21/10

Bonela Scores For Gays And Lesbians

Maranyane Ngwanaamotho, Mmegi Online.

http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=1&aid=2467&dir=2010/May/Thursday20

The Botswana Network Of Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS will lead a coalition of groups representing LGBT people and sex-workers to meet with government representatives. The unprecedented dialogue will address an array of policies, including Botswana‚Äôs sodomy laws.

05/21/10

Bonela Scores For Gays And Lesbians

Maranyane Ngwanaamotho, Mmegi Online.

http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=1&aid=2467&dir=2010/May/Thursday20

The Botswana Network Of Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS will lead a coalition of groups representing LGBT people and sex-workers to meet with government representatives. The unprecedented dialogue will address an array of policies, including Botswana‚Äôs sodomy laws.

The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office expresses ‚Äúgreat concern over the deception employed by Lou Engle in traveling to Uganda to take part in TheCall Uganda‚Äîan exploitative and homophobic crusade against the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,‚Äù publicly criticizing the growing influence of the American Christian right in African politics.

The Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office expresses ‚Äúgreat concern over the deception employed by Lou Engle in traveling to Uganda to take part in TheCall Uganda‚Äîan exploitative and homophobic crusade against the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,‚Äù publicly criticizing the growing influence of the American Christian right in African politics.

05/04/10

Being Gay In Morocco.

Djamel Belayachi, Afrik.com

http://www.mask.org.za/another-latest-post-just-to-check-total/

Samir Bergachi, founder of Kif-Kif, Morocco‚Äôs first gay-rights organization, and Mithly, the first dedicated gay publication in the Arab world, discusses the difficulties faced by LGBT people in conservative Muslim socities.

05/04/10

Being Gay In Morocco.

Djamel Belayachi, Afrik.com

http://www.mask.org.za/another-latest-post-just-to-check-total/

Samir Bergachi, founder of Kif-Kif, Morocco‚Äôs first gay-rights organization, and Mithly, the first dedicated gay publication in the Arab world, discusses the difficulties faced by LGBT people in conservative Muslim socities.

A special Ugandan parliamentary committee has recommended rebranding the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill by either changing its name or combining it with an existing Sexual Offences Act. A leaked committee report reveals that the original title of the legislation appeared to be ‚Äú(stigmatize)‚Ä¶ and (target) a particular group of people.‚Äù

A special Ugandan parliamentary committee has recommended rebranding the infamous Anti-Homosexuality Bill by either changing its name or combining it with an existing Sexual Offences Act. A leaked committee report reveals that the original title of the legislation appeared to be ‚Äú(stigmatize)‚Ä¶ and (target) a particular group of people.‚Äù

04/20/10

Uganda: Statement from Spectrum Uganda: Stop Hate Campaigns in the name of Jesus Christ.

A public admission by the Director of Horizon Community Association (HOCA), Naome Ruzindana, that homosexuality does exist in Rwanda has sparked controversy in that country, with public figures dubbing it an abomination that contradicts the Rwandan culture.

A public admission by the Director of Horizon Community Association (HOCA), Naome Ruzindana, that homosexuality does exist in Rwanda has sparked controversy in that country, with public figures dubbing it an abomination that contradicts the Rwandan culture.

04/15/10

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 1900, the number of self-identified Christians living in sub-Saharan Africa has increased nearly 70-fold to 470 million, accounting for nearly a quarter of the Christian church globally. The report analyzes, among other things, the recent evanglization of African Christianity, and finds that ‚Äúthroughout sub-Saharan Africa, Christians and Muslims alike express strong opposition to homosexual behavior, abortion, prostitution and sex between unmarried people‚Äù and large majorities expect their leaders to hold ‚Äústrong religious beliefs.‚Äù(download the complete PDF report.)

04/15/10

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Since 1900, the number of self-identified Christians living in sub-Saharan Africa has increased nearly 70-fold to 470 million, accounting for nearly a quarter of the Christian church globally. The report analyzes, among other things, the recent evanglization of African Christianity, and finds that ‚Äúthroughout sub-Saharan Africa, Christians and Muslims alike express strong opposition to homosexual behavior, abortion, prostitution and sex between unmarried people‚Äù and large majorities expect their leaders to hold ‚Äústrong religious beliefs.‚Äù(download the complete PDF report.)

Assemblies of God Bishop Joshua Banda has advised the donor community to channel their funds to development programmes rather than supporting practises such as homosexuality that he characterizes as ‚Äúalien to the Zambian society.‚Äù

04/03/10

Harvard Law School Conference: Diverse Sexualities/Disparate Laws: Sexual Minorities, the State and International Law (Keynote Address).

Denise Abbah, a South African female acquitted¬†of attempted robbery¬†and hijacking in South Africa, was imprisoned in a male cell for seven months as she waited for her trial. The prison officials mistook her for a transvestite. Ms Abbah is now seeking justice as she is suing the Department of Correctional¬† Services for damages amounting to R100 000.

The US State Department is responding to a letter by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) about the Bill currently in the Ugandan Parliament by saying it is “a serious affront to internationally accepted human rights standards.” Senator Wyden’s letter called for a review of Uganda’s preferred trade status under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which authorizes duty-free importation of certain goods from preferred status countries.¬† As a condition of receiving preferred status under AGOA, a country must not be engaged in “gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”¬†

03/08/10

Kenya: Are Muslims Preparing an Anti-Gay Pogrom In Kenya?

Jim Burroway, Boxturtle Bulletin

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/03/08/20932

Baraka FM, a Kenyan Muslim radio station previously involved inciting anti-gay mob violence, has broadcast a threat against an HIV/AIDS research center in Mombasa.

03/04/10

State Department Investigating LGBT Treatment In Uganda and Throughout Africa.

Jim Burroway, Boxturtle Bulletin

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/03/04/20774

In response to a letter penned by Senator Ron Wyden‚Äôs (D-Washington) questioning the legitimacy of Uganda‚Äôs African Growth and Opportunity Act preferred trade status, the State Department has released a statement assuring that the campaign to defeat the Anti-Homosexuality bill has reached the ‚Äúhighest levels‚Äù of diplomacy, characterizing the controversy as ‚Äúpriority in our bilateral relationship.‚Äù

02/25/10

Mexico: As gays prepare to marry in Mexico City, Jalisco queers act-up for their rights.

In response to conservative legal challenges to Mexico City‚Äôs December 21, 2009 marriage equality bill, a grassroots actvist effort has been organized by LGBT people in the state of Jalisco. Building occupations, kiss-ins, and outings have all been used by protesters to defend their newly-recognized rights.

02/25/10

Uganda is Only the Beginning.

Patricia Nell Warren, Bilerico Project

http://www.bilerico.com/2010/02/uganda_is_only_the_beginning.php

Across eastern and central Africa, laws targeting LGBT people (and in many cases their allies) are being proposed by politically powerful conservative Christians working in close social and financial association with American evangelical groups, many of which received federal tax dollars as ‚Äúfaith-based‚Äù organizations. President Obama has spoken out against the now-infamous Ugandan campaign, but has yet to address intensifying persecution in Burundi, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, and Kenya.

02/25/10

Ugandan Pastor Wars Reignite, Benny Hinn Accused of Sodomy.

Jim Burroway, Boxturtle Bulletin

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/02/25/20604

Ugandan tabloid Red Pepper has accused a ‚Äúwell-known [Ugandan] pastor‚Äù of having sexual relations with disgraced American televangelist Benny Hinn. The charge, since cleared by police, represents the latest development in the country‚Äôs ‚ÄúPastor Wars‚Äù which have involved politically powerful evangelical leaders (such as anti-gay extremist Martin Ssempa) maligning rivals with allegations of homosexuality.

A group of clergy have filed a complaint with the IRS disputing the tax-exempt status of the C Street Center, the Capitol Hill facility closely affiliated with the secretive and notoriously anti-gay Fellowship organization which provides housing to some of Congress‚Äô most theologically and politically conservative members. The complaint alleges that C Street‚Äôs activities violate the legal definition of the term ‚Äúchurch,‚Äù citing a lack of public worship, dedicated clergy, and questionable fundraising practices.

American ex-gay actvist group Homosexuals Anonymous held a conference in Kenya in November, an event which was followed by a rash of anti-gay violence and the arrest of five people alleged to have planned an illegal gay wedding near Mombasa.

Uganda‚Äôs proposed Anti-Homosexuality bill does more than introduce unconscionably harsh penalties for gay sex ‚Äì by criminalizing acts of activism and sympathy, the legislation aims to stigmatize straights allies who would stand up for LGBT neighbors, friends, and family members.

01/17/10

United Arab Emirates: Gay men arrested in Dubai

The National
Awad Mustafa

http://madikazemi.blogspot.com/2010/01/gay-men-arrested-in-dubai.html
Two men who allegedly used the internet to offer sexual services appeared separately before the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance yesterday.

‚ÄúAn international HIV/AIDS advocacy group has raised concern at the escalation of homophobia in Africa, naming President Robert Mugabe as among those persecuting homosexual people on the world‚Äôs poorest and arguably most conservative continent.‚Äù

A partnered lesbian will serve the Church of Sweden as bishop of Stockholm, the capital city. Meanwhile, A gay Holocaust memorial that plans to display a video of a lesbian kiss is drawing protests, not from antigay activists but from historians.

Thousands gathered in London Friday night to rally against the sudden surge of antigay hate crimes in the area, including the recent murder of 62-year-old Ian Baynham, who was en route to a club for a night on the town when he was attacked.

‚ÄúIn Iran, we don‚Äôt have homosexuals, like in your country…we do not have this phenomenon. I don‚Äôt know who‚Äôs told you that we have it.‚Äù
— Remarks by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a speech at Columbia University, September 24, 2007

(Moldova) – On Sunday, participants in the 7th Moldovan Pride were precluded from marching peacefully in support of anti-discrimination legislation and tolerance in the centre of Chisinau. Police did not guarantee the right to freedom of assembly. Large aggressive coordinated groups, including extremist religious groups, members of the neo-fascist movement ‚ÄúNew Right‚Äù, and legionnaires blocked the bus with participants, forced the door, violently hit the windows, and attempted to remove the engine, while shouting ‚Äúlets get them out and beat them up‚Äù.

10/01/07

Nowhere to Turn: Blackmail and Extortion of LGBT People in Sub-Saharan Africa

IGLHRC

http://www.iglhrc.org/binary-data/ATTACHMENT/file/000/000/484-1.pdf

This illustrates how LGBT Africans are made doubly vulnerable by the criminalization of homosexuality and the often-violent stigmatization they face if their sexuality is revealed. Based on research from 2007 to the present, the volume features articles and research by leading African activists and academics on the prevalence, severity and impact of these human rights violations on LGBT people in Cameroon, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe.

By continuing to deny gays open military service in the face of overwhelming public support for the repeal of DADT, the United States sides against 25 fellow NATO signatories except Turkey and with countries such as Venezuela, Pakistan, and Yemen.

06/26/09

Egypt: Buried alive

2003 Liberation Publications, Inc

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Buried+alive+in+Egypt%3A+Egyptian+gay+men+are+still+being+entrapped+and…-a0102453330
Police have systematically arrested and tortured suspected homosexuals, vice squads have logged on to chat rooms posing as gay men. Forming friendships under a false identity, the police set up an expected first date, then meet their “suspects” with a brutal arrest.

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